Redemption 買戻し
by The Minister of Silly Walks
Summary: After Mion's 17th birthday Keiichi discovers a stranger wandering the village. This stranger just so happens to be Keiichi's cousin: Ryuu. When Ryuu joins the club however, dark secrets of his past are revealed and a dark government conspiracy unfolds MxK
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Higurashi no naku koro ni, Higurashi no naku koro kai, or Higurashi no naku koro rei. All of those are owned by 07****th**** Expansion.**

**Warning: Massive amounts of blood ahead. Maybe not in this chapter in particular but there will be blood.**

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Prologue

**July 1****st**** 1983; Tokyo, Japan; Lanyon Mental Asylum; Basement**

"I still don't feel comfortable keeping him here Jack," I said as we ventured down to the restricted areas of the infamous "Lanyon Asylum".

"Tough," is all he said. It was his default response to any kind of complaint. I hated that about Jack Lanyon, among many other things.

We came to the massive titanium double doors that led to the cell of "M", one of the most dangerous psychopaths to ever walk the earth. The heavily armed guards just outside the door saluted Jack and I as we passed and unlocked the door for us. This didn't feel like a mental institute… it felt like a military's base of operations.

When the door opened another, even thicker door was revealed underneath. One of the guards stepped forward and punched in a code on the terminal and there was a hissing sound emanating from the massive steel door as several metallic sounding locks clicked and the door rose up from the ground, revealing a massive padded cell the size of a basketball court that contained a single man. A man we could not see.

Jack held out his hand and one of the guards gave him a pistol that he tossed to me while he took out his own gun and walked into the cell as the doors shut behind us. As we stepped further inside the florescent lights overhead flicked on with several loud clicks, gradually revealing the rest of the bleak cell. "M" could still not be seen.

"Where is he?" I asked, my hand trembling.

"Behind you…" answered a raspy voice.

I jumped and spun around, my gun held tightly in my shaking hands. He was crouched down right by the now closed door; apparently he has been planning to escape before the doors shut.

"You knew we were coming then?" asked Jack as if he was talking to a child with a reputation of misbehaving.

"Yes…" wheezed "M".

"You should know by now Maebarra-san: escape is impossible within these walls," Jack said while taking out a pipe and filling it with tobacco.

Maebarra, or "M", stared up at Jack with utmost loathing. He seemed to have forgotten I was there.

"Smoking kills…" he coughed.

"And so do you," said Jack with a sneer, "which is why you're still here."

"One time…"

"Yes but on that 'one time' you slaughtered twenty five people and traumatized one little girl. Dr. Koizumi down at the therapy center saw her for at least two whole years until she was able to forget _you_."

"I was a child…"

Jack gave him a disbelieving look, "You think that matters?"

"M" ran out of things to say at that point, he just resumed his hateful staring contest with Jack while he lit his pipe.

"I hate you…" he hissed, a tear leaking from his cold gray eye.

"I hate you too Maebarra. But that's now why we're here. We need another blood sample."

Ryuu's head shot up, his pupils shrinking with fear. "A-another one?" I was reminded of a small child being told he had to get a shot when I saw his face.

"Actually _several_ other ones," Jack blew a fresh plume of smoke in "M's" face with a grin, which made his eyes water even more, "You're in for a rough night Maebarra."

"M" leaped up from his sitting position and jumped on Jack, smashing his head against his sternum. If it weren't for the straightjacket keeping his arms restrained Jack probably would've died then and there.

"Masato! Shoot him now!" bellowed Jack over "M's" manic laughter and furious grunts as he flailed his head against Jack's chest.

I whipped out my pistol and shot him in the back, surprised to see a tranquilizer dart come out rather than a bullet.

"M" turned on me, his eyes looking vicious and murderous.

"Shit!" I pulled the trigger again, the only sound I heard was the _click, click_ of a gun without ammo. "I'm out!"

I felt the wind leave me as "M" plowed head first into my gut, knocking me full force against the padded wall. He seemed intent on drilling his head through my stomach as he continued to press his head against my abdomen. I felt something warm trickle out of my mouth and blood began to trickle downward onto "M's" white straightjacket.

"JACK!!" I pleaded with a mouth full of blood. He was just standing there, watching. I cringed in pain as I felt my ribs crack under "M's" head. "SHOOT HIM!!"

"Fine, fine… I guess that's enough." Jack finally pulled out his tranquilizer gun and shot two darts in his back, causing "M" to slump over on my feet almost immediately. I fell over on my side, clutching my broken ribs. "Bastard… I could've died!"

Jack blew a out another plume of smoke as if nothing had happened.

"Tough."

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**July 3****rd**** 1983; Tokyo, Japan; Lanyon Mental Asylum; 4****th**** floor **

I flipped through the patient's files, in search for "M's". I placed a hand over my bandaged ribs at the thought of him and grimaced. "Damn you Jack…." I whispered angrily. I finally found it. It had its own filing cabinet it was so big. I looked through the tabs and pulled out "Background Info".

"M's" real name is Ryuu Maebarra. His only family is living in Hinamizawa. Apparently they moved on his parent's old property shortly after he was institutionalized. The only remaining members of his family are Ichirou Maebarra, Aiko Maebarra, and their son: Keiichi Maebarra. Ryuu is guilty of murdering 25 people. I also heard he tormented a Sonozaki Mion, she had to see a therapist for two years until she just showed up one day and completely forgot everything that had happened.

After they had him institutionalized he was diagnosed with L5 Hinamizawa Syndrome. However _he_ didn't end up ripping out his own throat like all of the other victims who fall to this disease.

How strange…

I've talked to him before. He likes me. Or he used to before I shot him in the back the other day. I almost wish I let him kill Jack… he nearly did the same to me! He reminds me of a scared little kid at the doctor's office just waiting for his check up to finally end. I pity him actually. Whenever we talk about the murders he gets fidgety and starts tearing up. I think that memory is as painful for him as it was for that Sonozaki girl.

We took more of his blood samples yesterday. "M" hates getting his blood taken. Jack, that son of a bitch, insisted on waiting until "M" was conscious for it just to taunt him.

I swear sometimes I can't tell who belongs in a cell, Ryuu or Jack.

My train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a loud whining sound and flashing red lights overhead. Quickly, I shoved the files back into their designated cabinets.

I wasn't supposed to be here!

I expected the door behind me to have locked automatically to keep me here until security arrived but it opened easily.

Clearly I wasn't the cause for the alarms going off like this.

I closed the door behind me and tried to act natural as several security guards with automatic rifles stormed down the hall, looking terrified. Jack was among the marching guards, wearing a bullet proof vest over his white ankle-length lab coat. "Jack! What's going on? What happened?!"

" 'M' escaped," he said through the pipe clenched in between his teeth.

My pupils shrunk in fear, "…no way…"

"Indeed… If we don't stop him soon the whole facility will be in danger."

This was news to me. How can one teenager be a danger to the entire facility? I was more afraid for "M" than I was for the facility a moment ago.

"I see something! Around the corner!" said one of the guards, quickly putting up his hand to signal his colleagues to stop. They raised their weapons, ready to fire at even the slightest movement.

"Who's there!" demanded Jack, holding his pistol threateningly.

No answer.

Jack raised his gun in the air and fired at the ceiling, sending small bits of rubble bouncing off our heads.

That didn't sound like a tranquilizer gun…

"We're not playing this time 'M'! Come out or we will _kill_ you!"

No answer.

"Coronel, you take your men and try to retrieve him without killing him. But if need be you must not hesitate to open fire. Do you understand?"

Wait… coronel? He's a security guard not a member of the Japanese military!

"Understood sir!"

He signaled his men to follow him and they turned the corner, fear shimmering in their eyes. There was a scream and someone opened fire but was quickly silenced after I heard a sickening splashing sound that sounded a lot like blood splattering against the floor.

I almost collapsed when I saw a human arm slide across the floor, leaving a streak of dark blood.

More gunfire and screaming, followed by more splashing sounds and cries of fear from the soldiers.

I started forward, intent on helping whoever was still alive but I was stopped by Jack's arm and his stern glare.

I could hear the colonel shouting, "STAY BACK! STAY BACK!"

That was the last thing I heard before I saw him step out of the hall, "M" holding a knife to his throat.

No… he was holding a knife _in_ his throat.

"M" ripped the knife out, sending a stream of blood spraying out of the colonel's neck. He spun around before collapsing to the floor.

"M" showed no emotion, no amusement and no remorse. He saw Jack standing there however and his mouth cracked into a murderous smile. I looked at Jack and for once I saw genuine fear in his eyes.

I had to admit… it was quite refreshing.

"M" came charging down the hall screaming bloody murder, the knife still clutched in his right hand. Jack raised his gun and fired straight at his head. But "M" made a remarkable dodge. He fell on his knees and laid down on his back in the blink of an eye as the bullet zoomed over him. Jack fired again while he was down but "M" flipped over to the left, dodging the bullet once more.

He sprung up in a flash, holstering the knife as he charged Jack. Jack aimed for "M's" knees this time, thinking he'd be unable to dodge that. But "M" saw it coming and did a front flip just as the bullet was about to rip through his knee.

"M" was now pressing the knife up to Jack's gut, staring at him with a sinister grin.

Jack had dropped his gun in shock and could do nothing but stare into "M's" cold eyes.

"M" raised his hand and slashed the knife across Jack's face, sending blood splashing all over "M" and me.

Jack cried out in pain as he stumbled to the floor.

"MY EYE!! BASTARD!! BASTARD!!"

"You don't like it?" asked "M" in a mocking baby-voice.

Jack's only reply was his screams.

"Tough," said "M" with an ever widening grin.

"M" brought Jack down so his stomach was on the floor and he placed a foot on Jack's left fore-arm and began pulling up on his hand with all his strength. There was a sickening crack and a rip as Jack's arm was torn from his body, sending blood splattering across the once white walls. I could only stand there, paralyzed with fear and disgust.

"That is for every unnecessary shot and needle you've given me!" he screamed furiously before ramming his foot into Jack's face.

I couldn't take it anymore! I had to do something! I ran up to "M" and grabbed his arm, looking at him pleadingly.

"STOP IT!" I begged, tears rolling down my cheeks, "STOP IT RYUU!"

For a moment, I thought he recognized me. His cold gray eyes became soft and vulnerable like that of a lost child's. But when he saw where my hand was his face hardened.

"TRAITOR!! YOU HURT ME THE OTHER DAY!!" I felt something hard ram my gut and blood shot out of my mouth.

"I HAD TO! YOU WERE GOING TO KILL HIM!"

"M" grabbed my finger and began pulling back on it until I felt it leave my hand. Bright lights flashed in my head as the pain flooded me.

"YOU SHOULD'VE LET ME!"

I was pushed forward onto the wall and I felt his blood soaked hand grab my hair and slam my head against the wall. It wasn't long until blood began trickling down my face and into my mouth. Out of my peripheral vision I saw Jack slowly rise, clutching his missing limb. I turned my head as much as possible to get a better look at him.

I tried to say something but when I opened my mouth nothing came out but a wave of vomit as my head was continually bashed against the wall. I was only able to silently mouth the words, "Help me…"

I know Jack understood me because at that moment he smiled, striking fear into my heart. And he mouthed the word: "Tough."

Jack ran, his footsteps splashing in the puddles of blood "M" had created. My head was shrieking in pain. I couldn't think straight anymore. I just wanted to die now… I didn't care who killed me.

My wish was granted shortly. As "M" delivered one final blow to my head I felt it shatter and then… I died.

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"M" escaped that day and Jack was the only survivor.

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So how was it? Did you like it? I liked typing this one it was fun :D. Don't worry my friends, we will be in Hinamizawa first thing next chapter. This was the only chapter told out of the perspective of the original gang. Although a few chapters will be told from Ryuu's POV.

So leave a comment or two and tell me what you thought m'kay. Constructive Criticism is appreciated. Flames will burn you.


	2. Chapter 1: Mion's Birthday

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Higurashi franchise. But it's only a matter of time…. **

****Edit: Okay, I'm gonna point this out before **_**you**_** do. I am now aware of my mistake that Mion and Shion are twins and in this chapter only Mion's birthday was being celebrated. When I wrote this chapter I had meant to point out that they were going to celebrate their birthdays on separate dates… for some odd reason. So I guess Mion won the coin toss and she got to celebrate her birthday… er… on her birthday. **

Chapter: 1

**April 7****th ****1983; Hinamizawa, Japan; Sonozaki Estate **(A/N Don't worry, I won't start every chapter like that)

"Happy Birthday!" greeted Keiichi with a broad grin at the front door of the Sonozaki house, carrying a large and colorfully wrapped present.

"Kei-chan! Glad to see you could make it!" greeted his best friend, Mion Sonozaki (the birthday girl today).

"Sorry I'm late. It took me a while to find the right present but I think you'll like this one."

He raised his gift high in the air, rather melodramatically, so she could get a better look at it.

"Did you wrap it yourself?" she asked when she noticed the slipshod wrapping paper, some of it torn in areas but patched up with duck tape to conceal its contents.

Keiichi lowered the gift and blushed furiously. "Doesn't matter!" he snapped, "Just… tell me where to put it."

"Give it to me. I'll put it with the others."

Keiichi handed it off and stepped into Sonozaki Manor, which lived up to his expectations. He had heard stories from Rena on about how gargantuan Mion's house was supposed to be but he thought it was an exaggeration on account Rena was the one speaking at the time. But if anything it was an understatement! It would be easy to get lost in a place this size.

"Geeze Mion! Your house is enormous! Do you have a map or something so I don't get lost?" he faced her with an amused grin, clearly pleased by his own joke. But Mion wasn't really listening. She was too busy fiddling with the wrapping paper. Probably to get a peek at what it contained.

"What are you doing?" Keiichi asked with a raised eyebrow.

Mion looked up and quickly hid the present behind her back, like a kid hiding a cookie from her mother before dinner. "Nothing!" she yelped.

"You can't open it till' after we sing 'Happy Birthday'," he said with his arms folded.

Mion looked at the gift and then at Keiichi, "But…"

"But nothing," Keiichi swiped the gift from her hands, "I think _I'll _have to hide this someplace special so _you_ don't go getting any ideas. Go find Rena or something. I don't want you seeing where I put this."

"Hey! Who's the birthday girl here!?"

"You. Which is exactly why you must wait until you can open this. It wouldn't be fair to the others if you opened it now."

Mion looked insulted. "Well I've already opened theirs because _they_ aren't a bunch of little pricks like you!"

"I guess you could call me a rebel then. A non-conformist if you will. A man doesn't have to go with the flow if he doesn't want to."

"Fine! This is going nowhere! Do whatever you want just make sure you remember to give it to me!"

"Roger."

Neither of them moved.

"What!? Go and hide it!" she demanded.

"You need to leave first."

Mion made a defeated groan before turning around and storming away, looking very put out. "The rest of us are out by the pond when you're finished with that," she said with venom in her voice.

He waited until her footsteps died away until he quickly found a neat little hiding spot for his gift behind the flower vase that was sitting on a glossy wooden coffee table in the corner of the foyer. It wasn't a perfect hiding place but it would do for now. He'd just have to keep Mion away from it for a few hours.

Keiichi ventured through the intricate labyrinth that was Mion's house until he eventually stumbled upon the back door. He stepped through the threshold and out onto the grassy lawn. Her backyard was quite the sight to behold! The grass was very well kept and plush and a long freshwater stream slithered down the yard where it all ended up depositing itself down a small waterfall and into a lily-pad infested pond, making it look like a very traditional Japanese home.

A path of gray stepping stones paved the way from where Keiichi was standing to where the rest of his friends were playing, by a large tree planted only a few meters away from the small stream. Mion waved at him with a broad smile as the others greeted him fondly. He ran forward to greet his friends and made it about halfway there until something tugged on his ankle and before he knew it he was dangling upside down from the tree, a long and sturdy rope tied around his ankle. And as always this kind of event was followed by the haunting laughter of Satoko Hojo, the conniving little brat that had made it a hobby of practicing her insane little traps on him.

Today was no exception.

"Ohh ho ho ho ho!" she cooed, "It looks like our little vacation this summer has made you a somewhat dull Keiich-kun, you would have normally seen that coming."

"Damnit Satoko you little brat! Get me down from here… GENTLY!" he caught himself, insuring Satoko wouldn't use his sentence as an excuse to torment him further.

"Sorry Kei-chan! No can do. This was the birthday girl's wish. I must comply!"

"Wha- Mion you betrayed me!" he exclaimed in outrage.

Mion chuckled, "You should've let me see what you got me! It was foolish of you to cross me."

"Hauuu~!! Keiich-kun is soo cute hanging from a tree! He looks like a big possum! " cooed Rena, hugging herself tightly as she stared up at Keiichi through squinted eyes, "I wanna take him home!"

"Just please let me down… I can hear my ankle snapping…" Keiichi pleaded.

"Aww boo hoo. Man up why don't cha? It can't be that bad," teased Mion from down below.

"Okay then Miss High and Mighty… YOU COME UP HERE AND SEE HOW IT FEELS!"

"I'm fine."

"Hey I got an idea Mion!" laughed Satoko evilly. Keiichi knew by the tone in her voice that whatever she was about to suggest would mean much suffering on his part.

"Have you ever heard of that thing Mexican children do at parties… sometimes American kids use them too. I think their called Piñatas."

Keiichi's eyes widened in terror. Oh yes… he knew what those were. And judging by Mion's ominous sneer so did she.

"Oh please no…" he pleaded, summoning the best puppy dog face he could hope for.

"Well…" said Mion, deep in thought, "Beating him lifeless with sticks may be a bit much." Her thoughtful frown twisted into a sick little smile as she got a disgustingly comical mental image. "But I know how else we could take advantage of the situation."

"How?" said Satoko and Keiichi in unison.

"Catch."

Keiichi was pushed forward by Mion, sending him swinging over to Satoko's direction.

"Heads up Rika!"

He was pushed again, this time in Rika's direction.

Keiichi struggled for freedom, but to avail. Satoko had enough experience with tying knots to trap a healthy bull.

"Nipah~!" cooed little Rika, shoving him over to Hanyuu.

"Hanyuu! Save me!"

"Sorry Kei-chan. I can't take you seriously when you're dangling upside down."

Shoved again, this time though he was grabbed by Rena in mid-swing.

"Hauuu~! So cuuuute! I wanna take Possum-chan home!" Rena cooed, snuggling up against Keiichi like he was a stuffed possum plush doll.

"Hey Rena… getting kinda close there…" commented Mion with one eyebrow raised.

Rena was now deft to all noise; she was too busy on trying to forcibly remove Keiichi form the tree.

"Rena-chan! I think my ankle's gonna tear! Slow down a bit!" he begged.

"No! Rena must take you home _now_!"

_Rip!_

Keiichi was lying on the floor, his ankle throbbing painfully and the rope lay on the ground next to him.

"S-a-t-o-k-o…" he said slowly as he sat up, his eyes glinting menacingly, "I will have retribution…"

"Eep!" Satoko exclaimed as she hightailed in the opposite direction, Keiichi in hot pursuit.

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After hunting down Satoko, and delivering a much deserved finger to the fore-head, Keiichi and the small trap-master met up with the gang back by the tree, which had acquired a thick wooden rope swing while they were busy chasing each other.

"Where'd that come from?" Keiichi asked, pointing at the swing Mion was rocking on while watching Rika and Hanyuu have a splash battle with Rena and Shion.

"It's usually rolled up around that branch there," she pointed to the thick branch directly above her, "I just let it down."

"Well isn't _that_ much more entertaining than tossing me around?"

"Nope," said the entire group in unison, excluding Keiichi of course.

"Damn you all…"

"Hey Kei-chan! Push me!" ordered Mion as she began rocking on the swing playfully.

"Don't tempt me," said Keiichi in a threatening tone.

"Not like that. Come on Keiich-kun! I'm the birthday girl and you have to grant me at least one birthday wish today."

"I got you a gift."

"That doesn't count."

"Fine… whatever," Keiichi said, completely unaware of what Mion was trying to do.

"Hey sis," said Mion once Keiichi gave he a good starting push, "Didn't Oni-baba want your help with something in the kitchen?"

Shion looked at her older sister inquisitively, but when she saw Keiichi standing behind her looking very annoyed she caught on. "Oh yeah!" she said with a knowing grin, "Hey guys! We need to head over to the kitchen and help my mom and my grandma set up!"

She was answered by a chorus of disappointed "Awwww's". But no one argued with her. They all followed Shion to the kitchen. All except for Mion.

"Where are you going Kei-chan?" she asked as he joined the group.

"I'm going to help the others in the kitchen like Shion said. Aren't you coming?"

"No stupid, I'm the birthday girl! I can't go in there yet! It'd ruin the surprise."

"I see… well see you later then!"

"No, no, no, no. You're keeping _me_ company now. Stay!"

Keiichi groaned and dragged his feet back over to the swing, where he resumed the tedious task of pushing the "birthday girl".

Mion's smile faded when she looked up at Keiichi's irritated expression. Was spending time with her really that bad of an option?

"Am I really worse than having to set up for a party?" Mion said aloud, suddenly sounding very hurt. Keiichi looked taken aback at the sudden change in mood. The party-like atmosphere that existed only moments ago suddenly shattered.

Keiichi's annoyed expression softened as the guilt set in. His pushing also became a little gentler (he had been nearly shoving her off the swing a minute ago). "No… it's not like that," he assured, "I was just teasing you Mion. I don't mind pushing you. Honest." That was sort of true.

Mion stared up at Keiichi's soft and sincere face, who stared down at her with his confident smile and lively purple eyes. She couldn't help but blush a little when she saw how gentle and caring his face was while he was looking at her.

"T-thanks…" she stammered, looking away to hide her reddening face.

What started out as a playful looking activity between two best friends suddenly transformed into a romantic looking set up between the two of them. Keiichi was pushing her ever so softly, as if he were afraid any more force would send Mion flying through the air, and Mion just stared at her shoes with a light smile on her face and an ever deepening blush on her cheeks. Time passed quickly, what felt like a few minutes became a whole hour and the sun set in time, plunging their surroundings into darkness with nothing but the fire-flies to help cast light around them.

The moon's luminous reflection in the water cast a slight glow on the two's faces, making them look almost angelic. "Pretty night…" Keiichi broke the silence at last.

"Hm?" Mion blinked as if awaking from a very pleasant dream, "Oh yeah it is."

"Never had anything like this in Tokyo," Keiichi commented as he stared down fondly at the pretty green haired tom-boy, "One of the reasons why I love being here." Keiichi didn't even realize it himself but he was referring to Mion when he said that.

"Yeah…" said Mion bashfully, trying to sum up the courage to look at him, "it's kind of roman—"

There was an odd rustling sound overhead and several leaves descended slowly from the branches above. Keiichi looked up and saw a pair of human eyes staring down at them.

"Holy Shi--!"

_Crack! Snap! Thud!_

Before Keiichi could blink he found himself being crushed underneath a rather heavy full grown man. Mion had leaped from the swing just before he fell.

"It's not what it looks like! Honest!" squeaked a very eccentric looking man with over grown sideburns and a curly black goatee. "I was… there was a ball in the tree and I had to get it! I just snuck up behind you guys and got in the tree to get it down and I didn't want to interrupt your lovely little outing so I…"

"Dad… You're a rotten liar and we know it…" groaned Keiichi, staring up angrily at his peculiar looking father. "Get off of me."

"Keiichi!" he gasped, "How could you speak to your father like that? I was trying to be polite."

"By spying on us?"

"By not interrupting you two at my own expense!"

"Where's the ball?"

Mion watched the father and son with a half confused half amused expression. She didn't know what to make of this.

"What?"

"The ball. You said you went up there to get a ball down from the tree. Mind showing it to us?"

Ichirou Maebarra's eyes darted in all directions nervously, intently coming up with some explanation.

"It uh… the ball. Well… duh… you see I kind of…—Happy Birthday Mion!" he exclaimed quite suddenly, clearly trying to change the subject.

He shot up and stepped over his son like he wasn't even there before shaking Mion's hand vigorously. "So you'll be 17 today? Very nice, very nice indeed!"

"Hey!" cried Keiichi, "Don't try and change the subject you old pervert!!"

"Which reminds me," he continued, completely ignoring his son's last comment, "I was sent out here to bring you kids in for some cake about fifteen minutes ago. Let's not keep that grandma of yours waiting."

Keiichi stood himself up before brushing the dirt off his clothes and staring at his dad murderously. He and Mion followed him to the dining hall where all of Mion's many relatives were gathered. Oryo Sonozaki, the twin's grandmother, was the only not smiling.

"Why does she look so upset?" Keiichi asked as they took their seats around the table together.

"She doesn't like how the party is so western styled. She hates anything Non-Traditional-Japanese-ish."

"I see…"

Oryo did indeed look very upset with the proceedings, when Mion's uncle brought the cake to the table she looked ready to smash it to bits.

Detective Oishi was there too oddly enough and Mion's mother, Akane, actually insisted he put each of the seventeen candles in and light them, which he did happily. It seemed that after the incident with Takano and after Oyashiro-sama's curse was finally solved Oishi and the Sonozaki family had become rather chummy. It was probably Oishi's way of apologizing after suspecting the family for so long.

"Happy Birthday Sonozaki Mion-san!" he said with a wrinkled smile. The rest of the room repeated his cheer: "Happy Birthday Mion!"

Even Oryo managed to mumble a small and unenthusiastic, "Yay…"

_Happy Birthday to You!_

_Happy Birthday to You!_

_Happy Birthday Dear Mioooooon! _

_Happy Birthday too Youuu!_

The atmosphere in the room was full of nothing but joy and ecstasy as Mion blew out her candles. Keiichi couldn't help but chuckle a little when he saw how much of a little kid she looked when she did that. But she seemed happy. She _did_ insist on a western styled birthday after all. She bugged her grandma for weeks until she finally gave in.

"You made a wish right?" asked Keiichi

Mion nodded with an unusually girly smile. But she quickly regained her tom-boyish composure and said, "That's why I had this party after all."

"So you could make a wish on a candle?"

She nodded with a broad grin. "By the way Kei-chan… don't you have something for me?"

"Huh? Oh! The present. Hang on."

He stood up and made a respectful bow to Oryo. "Excuse me," he said before dashing for his gift. It was right where he left it, behind the flower vase in the foyer. He returned carrying his poorly wrapped gift and handed it to Mion.

"Happy Birthday!"

Mion tore open the gift with a hungry look in her eye. Keiichi actually felt sorry for his wrapping paper because she tore at it with such ferocity. The room had gone silent as the party-goers waited with baited breath to see what Keiichi had gotten for Mion.

Mion's uncle from the toy store nudged Keiichi in the shoulder knowingly and gave him a thumbs-up, which Keiichi returned with a wink.

Out of the box came a blonde haired doll, the one usually on display at the toy store.

"Hauu~! That's sooo cute Mion-chan!"

Mion's heart skipped a beat after she blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. She looked up at Keiichi and back at the doll before cracking a tom-boyish smile. "Y-you knew you were buying this for me when you got this right?" she stammered nervously, trying her best to sound cool.

"Well I sure as heck didn't get it for me," Keiichi said with a light laugh, "Sure I got it for you."

"B-but… this is a g-girl's thing. You know me. You say yourself you wonder why I wasn't just born I guy."

"Mion!" exclaimed Akane from the other side of the table, "A handsome young man is trying to give a nice present. At least say thank you!"

Mion didn't say anything; she was deft to anyone but Keiichi.

"Yeah but I can still see a girly side in you Mion."

Mion blushed furiously and held the doll close to her chest, "R-really?'

Keiichi and Mion seemed to have forgotten the whole room was watching them.

"Take good care of her okay." Keiichi looked into her eyes affectionately with a soft smile.

Mion held the doll closer to her, as if she feared it would slip through her arms unless she kept it in a death-grip. "O-okay," she stuttered.

There was an awkward silence; everyone's eyes were glued to Mion snuggling up with the doll under her chin. Oryo wore a horrified facial expression, as if Mion had just told her she wanted to run away to America with some strange foreigner.

"Thank you…" she said finally.

She then realized that everyone in the room was staring at her and immediately she loosened her hold on the doll and her face lit up like a house fire. "Who wants cake!?" she said quickly.

The room exploded with conversation again as nearly everyone raised their hand and chanted, "Me, me, me!"

From across the room Ichirou was staring proudly at his son like he had just won 20 gold medals in the Olympics. When he caught his Keiichi's eye he gave him a proud smile and a thumbs-up and silently mouthed the word, "Nice."

Mion and Akane cut the cake for everyone. When Keiichi finally got his piece he licked his lips ravenously and poked the cake with his fork, which somehow caused it to explode in his face.

Everyone ceased their eating and froze where they stood, gawking at Keiichi's frosting coated face. "What the hell!?" he exclaimed. He poked around in what remained of his cake to find the source of the explosion. But as soon as he touched it the cake exploded once more.

The only sound aside from Keiichi's gasps and grumbles was Satoko's maniacal laughter. "Oooh ho ho ho ho! I got you again Kei-chan."

"What!? How!? How the hell did you figure out which piece I'd get?!"

She shrugged, still wearing her smug smile, "Lucky guess."

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After Oishi successfully restrained Keiichi from trying to beat Satoko to death the party commenced normally and ended two hours later. Keiichi's parents went home early, saying they needed to get to bed early on account of their flight to Venice tomorrow for Ichirou's art show. Keiichi was the last non-Sonozaki to depart.

"See you later Mion! You too Shion!" he said as he departed from Sonozaki Manor.

"Thanks for coming Keiichi!" Mion waved goodbye, still hugging the doll tightly with her free arm. She hadn't put it down since she took it out of the box.

"Happy Birthday Mion!" was Keiichi's final farewell as he ventured off down the road. Mion yelled something back at him but he was too far away to make it out so he just ignored it and continued down the road.

The road was barely lit, the only light came from the occasional street lamp, most of which were flickering are already burnt out. Keiichi had a hard time navigating down the street whenever he got too far away from one of the street lamps.

The cicadas were exceptionally loud tonight.

Keiichi continued down the road, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the dark, when in the distance he saw a figure standing directly underneath one of the street lamps, staring up at the light bulb.

He got an uneasy feeling as he approached the figure. The closer he got to him the more he noticed how peculiar he looked. His hair was long and greasy, like he hadn't taken a shower in years. His clothes were torn in some places and had dark smudges all over them, making the true color of his clothing nearly indistinguishable. The light from the street lamp revealed his gaunt features. His eyes were sunken into his head and had dark circles around them and his cheek bones were very pronounced. His cheeks sunk into his face, increasing his skeletal like appearance. His skin was unusually pale which made the dirt on his skin all the more visible. He was so close to him now he could even see his fingernails, which were long, thick, yellow, and untrimmed.

Keiichi was so dumbstruck by this man's appearance he hadn't realized that he was staring. And now the man was staring back.

The cicadas got unusually loud then.

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A/N: I like this chapter too. I feel that this one started off kinda weak but ended pretty well. I just hope you guys liked it! Tell me what you guys think okay! Constructive Criticism is appreciated. Flames will make me upset.


	3. Chapter 2: Cousins

**Disclaimer: Despite my efforts I still do not own the Higurashi franchise**

**(A/N: **_**Italicized **_**words mean that it's someone's thoughts for those of you who are new to the wonderful world of literature.) **

Chapter: 2

The man stared at him with his hollow bloodshot eyes. Keiichi didn't move, he was afraid that the slightest movement would set this guy off.

Neither of them said anything, they just continued their lingering staring contest. The man wouldn't blink. There was something about this eyes Keiichi didn't like. He couldn't decide what emotion to feel when he looked at them. Pity, fear, hatred, curiosity; all these emotions consumed him and he didn't know why. But he could tell just by looking at this man's eyes he had been through much pain and in turn had brought much pain upon others.

"You blinked…" he wheezed suddenly, sounding out of breath despite the fact he had been doing nothing but staring at Keiichi for the past few minutes. "I win."

Keiichi didn't understand. "Huh?"

"You were staring at me weren't you? Is that not what people call a 'staring contest'?"

Keiichi blinked, totally confused now. "Sorry…" he said, "I didn't mean to stare at you."

"It's fine. People do that a lot. I'm used to it." Keiichi didn't doubt that.

The man returned his attention to the street lamp above his head, shoving his hands in his tattered pockets. More silence followed.

"Well… see ya," Keiichi said finally, trying to sneak around the man as if he would explode if he got too close.

"Wait," he said suddenly, his eyes still focused on the light above.

Keiichi really didn't want to "wait" but he thought it'd be best not to give this guy a reason to chase him. So he stood still.

The man said nothing for a moment as he tried to tear himself away from the street lamp's white light, as if it were his favorite television program. "I'm looking for someone…" he wheezed, sounding out of breath again.

Keiichi poised himself to run for it if need be.

"Who?" he asked tensely.

"Family. My uncle lives around here. He moved here a couple months ago."

Keiichi's heart skipped a beat. Not a whole lot of new residents ever appeared in Hinamizawa, he was pretty sure his family was its newest addition. Keiichi said nothing, hoping the man would get distracted by the light again and he'd be able to slip away unnoticed.

"He's my Uncle Ichirou if I remember correctly."

Keiichi's heart slammed against his ribs painfully and he suddenly felt icy cold fear chill his nerves. "_Does t-that make him my…"_ Keiichi took a huge gulp of air, "_…my cousin!?" _

Keiichi didn't know what to say! Should he tell him that Ichirou was his father and that he was his cousin? Of course not! This guy is psycho! "Sorry… never heard of him," lied Keiichi nervously, his knees trembling.

"Oh? Is that so?" the man gave Keiichi an all too knowing smile, "Cousin Keiichi, you wouldn't be lying to me now would you?"

Keiichi took a few steps back, as if the impact of his words literally pushed him backwards. No way! No way would he be able to tell that just by looking at him! That's _inconceivable_!

A lump formed in Keiichi's throat, blocking any surprised gasp that would have otherwise escaped his mouth. But his eyes were enough to give away his fear and astonishment.

"I already knew it was you when I noticed you staring at me. Why would you lie to me Keiichi? We are _family_ after all."

Keiichi wanted to run, to scream for help, to do anything to help him escape this… this freak! But his feet seemed to be glued to the pavement. It was like one of those nightmares where the killer or the monster was only a few inches away from you and no matter how fast you ran you would never get any further from their clutches.

"Truth is Kei-chan, I need a place to stay. I've had a little… problem and I've been trekking Japan for the past month to get here. I don't have any money or anything. Besides, I used to live on your property. Though I heard you knocked down my house and built your own over it."

"How did you know I… we were here? More importantly how do you know my name?" Keiichi asked, his voice trembling in fear.

The man grinned mischievously, as if he were recalling a very well planned prank. "That is not important. What matters is that the Maebarra family is finally whole again."

"What about your parents?"

The man's cocky face slowly hardened into a very grim frown, making him look even more like a pale zombie. "Dead," he said simply, "They died a long time ago."

"I'm sorry," he said even though he didn't feel even an ounce of pity for him now.

"No you're not, but I didn't expect you to be. You never met my parents. My dad and your dad never really liked each other. I didn't know about _you_ until about a month ago."

"Where have you been staying then?" Keiichi questioned.

The man answered with a long and exaggerated yawn as he stepped out of the light above him. Keiichi noticed that his snowy white skin was still perfectly visible in the darkness that engulfed once he was out of the light. "We can play 'interrogation' tomorrow Keiichi. I haven't slept in a week and quite frankly I'm beat. Let's go home okay."

Keiichi suddenly felt the urge to punch this guy. He actually had the nerve to talk like he had been living with Keiichi his whole life!? "Wait a second!" Keiichi cried, his confidence returning to him.

"Whaaaat?" groaned the man irritably, "I told you already that I'm really tired. And I won't be able to sleep out here. I need something soft! I'm a surprisingly delicate person."

"Show me some identification," Keiichi demanded.

"Huh?"

"I want proof that your last name is actually Maebarra. If you can prove that much I'll let you stay. If you can't then you can just go back to where you came from."

The man looked unsure and gave Keiichi an examining stare, like he was x-raying his conscious. "Promise?"

"Yeah I promise. Now show me some I.D."

"Yesh offishur (Yes, officer)" slurred the man, doing a would-be comical impression of a drunk man who was just pulled over by a cop.

He took off his left shoe, revealing a pale and sweaty foot. Keiichi sniffed the air and immediately pinched his nose for dear life, _"God I can smell it from here!"_

Out of his worn out tennis shoe he pulled out a grimy looking sock that was neatly folded into a square. He began to unravel the sock and out of it he pulled out a small plastic card and handed it to Keiichi. It was a library card by the looks of it. The name on it _did_ say Maebarra, much to Keiichi's surprise. Ryuu Maebarra. However the picture looked nothing like the man who presented the card to him. The guy on this picture had to be about twelve at the most.

It was a handsome looking young man though. His hair was short, brown and well kept by the looks of it, most definitely not like the man standing in front of him with his black and greasy hair. Not to mention this kid's tan skin, also a significant difference. His facial structure was much less tight too; his face was full and happy looking. The only similarity was the stormy gray eyes they both had; only the kid's seemed much more lively and curious whereas this guy's eyes looked tormented and maniacal.

"Geeze dude. If you're gonna get a fake I.D at least get a guy who looks your age," scoffed Keiichi as he handed back the library card.

The man looked confused as if he had no idea what Keiichi was talking about. He snatched the small plastic card away from him and examined the picture through scrupulous eyes.

"Oh! I forgot!" he said as he folded the old grimy sock around the card again, "That was a picture of me from about four… no… maybe five years ago. I can't remember. Anyway…" He placed his arm down the collar of his shirt and fished around inside until there was the rustling of paper and he pulled out a small, crumbled paper ball.

He handed it to Keiichi proudly as if he were achieving some great victory in the process. Keiichi un-crumbled the small ball and saw the man's tired face on the paper. When he looked closely he saw that this was… a mug shot? The kind of pictures they took for criminals! Was this supposed to convince Keiichi into letting this guy into his home?

He read the information below the picture. It was the same name as on the library card: Ryuu Maebarra. He was from Hinamizawa just like he said. His address matched Keiichi's, just like he said. He read down the line, reading other unimportant details like his blood type, his age (which was 16 like Keiichi), et cetera. Halfway down the paper however he noticed whatever was left of the sheet had been torn off.

"You think _this_ is enough proof for me?" asked Keiichi dubiously, "_You_ could've typed this out for all I know!" However, Keiichi couldn't help but notice how official this form seemed and he was thoroughly convinced that Ryuu was in fact his cousin. He still didn't want to believe it though.

"But, whether you believe it or not, it is _official_ proof that I am a Maebarra. And you promised to let me go stay at your house if I proved that much to you."

Keiichi had no more arguments to present. But would it really be a good idea to let this stranger sleep in his house? His parents would notice a tall, lanky, dirty, smelly, suspicious looking guy strolling about the house like he owned the place. But Keiichi had a gut feeling that Ryuu really was family. But would his parents believe that? Ryuu said that Ichirou and his father had a distant relationship, maybe his father didn't know about Ryuu at all.

Ryuu, unable to wait for Keiichi's reply any longer, blurted out, "What part of 'I haven't slept in a week and quite frankly I'm beat' don't you get Keiichi?! I really need sleep! Come on already!"

"Fine, fine…" Keiichi soothed, finally giving in. "But don't expect my parents to be has hospitable as me Ryuu. You'll have to deal with them tomorrow."

"I figured that much. But I have my birth certificate with me so that should be enough for them."

"Huh!? You had a birth certificate? Why didn't you show _me_ that? I would've bought that."

He shrugged. "I just happened to find that one first," he said, pointing to the form Keiichi was still holding.

Keiichi sighed. "Why do you carry all this stuff around with you? How come you have all this and not any clothes or money?" Keiichi asked as he handed Ryuu the crumbled paper and began continuing down the road.

"I'm complicated," he stated frankly as he joined his cousin, "There's a lot about me you'll never understand Keiichi."

"Right…"

Keiichi and Ryuu didn't talk during the trek to Maebarra Manor. Keiichi tried to start a conversation to get to know his cousin a little better but Ryuu just came back every time with, "Shh. I'm sleepy."

Finally, Maebarra Manor was in view. Keiichi began to feel very tense as he approached his house. What would happen once they actually got inside? Would Ryuu turn around and kill him as soon as they got to his room? It wouldn't surprise him given Ryuu's personality and appearance.

"We're here," they both said at once. Keiichi looked at his cousin inquisitively.

"I recognized the yard," he explained when Keiichi caught his eye, "This was, in fact, my old yard."

"Yeah you told me."

"Just a healthy reminder."

Keiichi pulled on the door knob and groaned when it didn't turn. "It's locked. Damnit! My parents knew I'd be coming home why did they lock the door?"

Keiichi kicked the grass angrily and crossed his arms.

"Shall we climb through the window then? Is your room on the first or second floor?" Ryuu suggested calmly.

"Nah, its fine. My parents keep a spare key hidden under the…" He caught himself before giving away the key's hiding place to Ryuu, who was looking at him expectantly.

"Under the what?" he asked when he didn't finish his sentence.

Keiichi hesitated, deciding if he should reveal they key's hiding place to him or not. "Listen Ryuu. No offense or anything but I don't want to tell you where we keep the spare key just yet. I just met you and all so…"

"Fine, fine. Just hurry up and find it. I'm really, really tired…" he whined.

"Yeah so I've heard," grumbled Keiichi under his breath, "Turn around and don't look okay. The faster you cooperate the quicker we get this done."

Ryuu turned around and covered his eyes sluggishly, "Eesh Keiichi, with that attitude of yours I think you'd make a perfect cop."

"Shut up," he snapped as he placed his hand underneath the small stone statue of a Siamese cat. He removed the small brass key from under the statue and stood up after quietly setting the stone cat down on the damp grass. "All right you can look now," he assured as he brushed the dirt off his legs.

Ryuu turned around silently, looking exhausted. "Good…" he sighed, "Now open the door so I can sleep."

Keiichi rolled his eyes at his cousin as he popped the key in the lock and turned it, opening the door at the same time. "You go in first, I'm gonna hide the key," he instructed.

Ryuu dragged his feet inside gratefully, his eyes half closed, mumbling something that sounded kind of like, "Thanks."

Keiichi waited until Ryuu's back was facing him before sliding the key underneath the cat and moving through the threshold silently. He closed the door and locked it behind him. "All right Ryuu, make sure you keep quiet," whispered Keiichi, "My parents will freak if they see you here—Where'd he go?"

Ryuu was nowhere to be seen. Although it was dark inside his house, Ryuu's pale skin would have made him very easy to locate even if the sun vanished completely from the universe. "Ryuu!" he hissed, groping around for the grimy young man. "Where the hell did you go?"

He heard a door slide open from up the stairs and his heart leaped up to his throat when he feared he had finally woken up his parents. But then he remembered their bedroom was on the first floor. So the only other room up there was… his bedroom. "God damnit," he cursed in an angry whisper.

He tip toed up the stairs as fast as he could. Damnit! Idiot! Why did you let this guy in your house! He's probably up there ransacking all of your belongings and making for the window right now! Idiot!

He slid open his bedroom door with all his strength and snatched up Satoshi's baseball bat that he always kept right by the door. However he received quite the shock when he saw Ryuu passed out on his futon, drooling on his favorite pillow.

"Hey! That's my futon!" He dropped the bat and began lightly nudging Ryuu with his big toe in a futile attempt to wake him. But Ryuu just grumbled and turned over in his sleep with a yawn. Keiichi grumbled, defeated, and opened his closet to retrieve an extra roll-up-futon his mother kept in there for when he had friends over. This would be his first time using it.

He unrolled it a good distance away from Ryuu, who still smelled as ungodly as ever, and stole one of the many pillows Ryuu was resting his head on. He tucked himself in, grumbling under his breath about how very uncomfortable this futon was compared to _his_. He eyed Ryuu enviously.

_"At least he doesn't snore,"_ thought Keiichi, trying to be optimistic about this. "_What have I gotten myself into?"_

Keiichi didn't even know the half of it.

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Well that was fun. I like this chapter too. I love all my chapters :D! *Yawns* however it took a lot out of me. I, much like Ryuu, am very tired. And now I retire. Whilst I dream you all should leave a comment on what you thought of this chapter. Did you like it? Did you hate it? Constructive Criticism if appreciated. But remember: playing with _**flames**_ is hazardous business.


	4. Chapter 3: School Days

**Disclaimer: No… no I do not own the Higurashi franchise… thanks for reminding me though.**

Chapter: 3

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

Keiichi's heavy eyes slowly opened to the fuzzy world around him. He blinked to get his eyes back in focus before sitting up in the guest futon. He looked to his left and saw that Ryuu's futon was already empty.

"Ah great…" he grumbled, still half asleep. "It's a good thing mom and dad left early this morning for Venice otherwise I'd be in huge trouble."

_Beep! Beep! Beep, _continued the high pitched chimes of his electric alarm clock that usually rest near _his _futon. He lay back down again, praying to God that the beeping would stop. But as he already knew, it simply continued its ceaseless chiming until Keiichi finally decided he had to shut it up. He inched over to the alarm clock like some over-sized caterpillar and pressed the snooze button with his chin. He was tempted for a moment to fall asleep right there, with his chin resting on the bulky alarm clock.

It was a lot harder to get up for school when your mom wasn't there to nag the sleep out of you.

But today he didn't need his mother; the loud crashing noise coming from the kitchen was enough to shake him awake. He shot up and slid the door open before dashing down the stairs with his heart thumping madly. He slid across the wood floor and into the kitchen, which was now in ruins. Dirty handprints decorated the once white walls of his mother's well kept kitchen and mud had been tracked all over the floor. He found Ryuu sitting at the kitchen table, drinking milk out of the carton and watching the small television set they kept by the microwave.

He soon found the source of the crashing noise from earlier. The fridge was wide open and the shelves that once held all sorts of food inside the fridge had collapsed somehow, sending its contests spewed across the floor.

Ryuu was watching some kind of cartoon on the television. Some little kid show Keiichi had never heard of.

Was this guy for real? He just trashes the kitchen and then plops down on a chair, drinking milk out of _their_ carton and flicks on the T.V to watch a kid show like he owns the place?!

"I hope you know how to clean…" fumed Keiichi, suddenly sounding very much like his mom when he didn't bring down his dirty laundry.

Ryuu swiveled around in his chair to face Keiichi with tired looking eyes. "Oh… morning Keiich-kun," he greeted calmly.

"Look at the mess you made!" reprimanded Keiichi, looking furious, "Mud is everywhere. Your handprints are all over the walls and the ceiling! I don't even know what you were doing that would've required you to wipe your nasty hands over the ceiling! Good Lord! My mom's gonna have a stroke!"

Ryuu took a swig from the milk carton and wiped away a rather thick milk mustache. "Oh yeah that reminds me," he said, "Aunt Aiko left a note for you on the fridge. It might still be there…"

Keiichi eyed Ryuu in disbelief. He didn't know what was stopping him from kicking him out of his house but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He stomped over to the fridge and tore off a piece of notebook paper taped to the fridge door. It read:

_Dear Keiichi,_

_As you know already your father and I are going to Venice for his art-show. I know you can't cook dear so we left you some "_Easy Bake Ramen" _in the fridge. It's chicken and pork flavored, your favorite!_

Keiichi grumbled when he saw the "_Easy Bake Ramen" _spilled across the floor.

_Just stick it in the microwave for a bit and there you go! Also, make sure you wipe up allthat mud you tracked in coming in last night! Do you homework, go to school, go to bedon time, and lock the doors every night and before you leave! We'll be back in a week atthe least._

_~Lots of Love- Mom and Dad_

Keiichi placed the note on the countertop, grumbling angrily when he examined the mess. "You're cleaning this up," Keiichi said bluntly.

Ryuu's only response was a low grunt which wasn't very reassuring. For now Keiichi just cleared off the fridge mess and put the shelves back in place to the best of his ability before he could shut the door. He threw away anything that had spilt (which was more than half the fridge's contents) and put back whatever was still intact.

"You could help," snapped Keiichi as he wiped the milk off the floor.

"I'm eating breakfast. Which, studies show, is the most important meal of the day. So don't bother me."

"Hey! You made this mess jackass now help me clean it up!"

"Later…" he said monotonously. Ryuu picked up his bowl of cereal and held it under his chin, scooping up spoonful after spoonful with his eyes still glued to the T.V

"What are you watching?" Keiichi asked in a disgusted tone.

"I can't remember the name…"

Keiichi finished up wiping the milk and he dropped the rag in the sink before making his own bowl of cereal and sitting next to Ryuu.

After about two silent minutes of watching some ridiculous kids' show Keiichi reached forward and changed the station to the news. Ryuu made no objections; it seemed he was happy as long as the T.V was running.

"Breaking news," announced the handsome looking anchorman on the television, "A recent discovery has been made in Tokyo today by a Mr. Yakamoto, who was making his daily commute to work when he noticed something odd about 'Lanyon Mental Asylum' that was right across from his office."

Ryuu's spoon fell with a clatter.

"We have him here today to give us his full account."

The camera panned out, revealing another fidgety looking man sitting in a chair right of the anchorman.

"Tell us Mr. Yakamoto; just what did you notice at the asylum that seemed so out of place?"

Ryuu stood up quickly, mumbling something that sounded like, "Shower."

Keiichi tore himself away from the news broadcast to see a very nervous looking Ryuu. Now he looked like he wanted to get as far away from the television as possible. "It's down the hall, first door to your left."

"Thanks." He scurried out of the kitchen in a hurry as the news broadcast went on.

"Towels are under the sink!" called Keiichi, his eyes back on the T.V.

Mr. Yakamoto fidgeted in his seat, as if he didn't know where to begin. "Well I noticed it about a month ago," he begun, his voice trembling, "I never really liked the vibe I got from working across the street from that place. It's one of the most populated asylums in Japan after all and I've seen some pretty heavily restrained people being led in their by people carrying shotguns! Anyway, I work late hours usually. I need the extra hours you know, now that I've got a family and all. So anyway, one night I was working really late and I work in an office so things can get pretty boring so late at night I watch the cars pull out of the parking lot of the asylum to pass the time."

"But one night no cars pulled out at all. At the time I didn't think anything of it but I noticed the next day that no cars were coming _in_ either. The cars just sat in the parking lot for a week, completely unmoved. I should know; I have a good view from my office. So I go to investigate down at the parking lot one Sunday on my day off and I hear some banging noise coming from the front door. When I got closer I realized that the handles on the door were tied together by a led pipe! Someone had actually bent a led pipe around the handles to lock the door from the outside!"

Keiichi raised both eyebrows, "_Wow. Impressive."_

The anchorman nodded his head, looking thoroughly intrigued by his story. "That must've taken some real strength to do something like that," he commented.

"Yes," agreed Mr. Yakamoto, "I'm guessing it did. Anyway though, I was able to break the pipe once I got my brother to lend me his hatchet. And we opened the door and found Jack Lanyon, the owner of the asylum, standing on the other side. He feinted when he saw us though. He probably lost too much blood. His arm was missing when we found him! He was the only one in the building. Everyone else was dead." Mr. Yakamoto's face suddenly became chalk white and his eyes began to water. Keiichi couldn't tell if he was going to be sick or collapse in tears. He wiped his eyes and took the glass of water that was sitting on the coffee table in-between the two men and gulped it down in an instant.

"I'm sorry," he said after he finished off the glass, "It was… it's just a really bad memory. I don't think I'd ever seen so much blood in my life. And t-that smell too…" Now he looked like he was about to vomit.

"We can stop if you want to Mr. Yakamoto," assured the anchorman softly.

"I'm fine. I just needed a short breather."

"Then please, do continue your story."

"Yes…" he took a deep breath, as if he were preparing jump off a bridge, "We called the police and they looked for survivors. All of the staff had been killed in awful, awful ways. I found a man, whose name I am unable to mention, that had his head bashed into a wall and his finger had been ripped off too."

"What about the patients being held in the building? Were they still alive?" pried the anchorman.

"No. It had been a month since all the staff was killed so there was no one to bring food to them… they had all starved to death."

"This truly is a tragedy. I heard from you this morning before we began that there were over three-hundred amongst the dead. Is that correct?"

"Yes, that is correct," answered Mr. Yakamoto with a light nod, "This was one of the most heavily staffed facilities in all of Japan. Makes me wonder what they were doing in there…"

Keiichi could hardly believe this! He didn't think this kind of stuff actually happened in real life! He couldn't stand to hear anymore, he flicked off the T.V and put his bowl in the sink before knocking on the bathroom door.

"Ryuu you okay in there? You've been showering for a long time!" he called over the running shower water.

"I need clothes!" he said, "Can you give me some of yours?"

Keiichi groaned irritably. "You didn't bring _anything_ with you?" he demanded.

"No."

Keiichi sighed. "Fine. Just hurry up, okay! We need to head over to school!"

Ryuu didn't reply so Keiichi left and returned carrying a change of clothes. Ryuu was lucky they were both the same size. Keiichi knocked on the door again, taking note that the shower water had stopped running.

"You done?" he asked.

"Yeah, just leave them by the door."

"Hurry up!"

Keiichi dropped the clothes and went to change himself. He came back down the stairs in his usual get-up to find Ryuu waiting by the door, wearing the clothes Keiichi had chosen for him. He was wearing a zip-up vest over a white long-sleeved T-shirt and dark brown khaki pants. He also looked much cleaner now. The shampoo had restored some of Ryuu's original brown hair color, although there wasn't much of a difference. Plus the soap had removed all the dirt and grime from his skin which only made him look even paler.

"Let's go," he said when Keiichi reached the last step of the stair-case.

They stepped out of the house and Keiichi locked the door behind him using the spare key. They didn't speak on the way to the bridge where Keiichi, Rena, and Mion met every day. Keiichi's mind was buzzing with thousands of questions. _"Three hundred dead!" _he exclaimed mentally,_ "Who? Why? I kind of wish I had kept watching the news now. This is the worst thing to happen since Takano planned to wipe out the village!"_

"Hey Kei-chan!" greeted Rena, wearing her usual cheerful smile.

"Morning Rena-chan," he replied, shaking his head to wake himself up. He just realized he had arrived at the bridge.

Ryuu remained silent, his attention currently focused on a flying piece of fluff floating through the air.

Rena stared at Ryuu with a nervous smile, waiting for some kind of introduction. When none came she stammered nervously. "Who's your friend?" she asked.

Keiichi waited for Ryuu to introduce himself, but he didn't. He was too intent on following that piece of fluff with his eyes. "That's Ryuu. He spent the night at my house last night," he explained.

"Oh…" Rena blushed and bit her thumb nervously, "So you're on that side of the fence, are you Keiichi? Are you?"

"Huh? Oh no, no, no! Not like that!" sputtered Keiichi, his face flushing deep red.

Ryuu still remained completely oblivious to the conversation at hand.

"Then why was he at your house? I wonder."

"He's my cousin Rena! Good grief…"

"Oh? I didn't know Kei-chan had any family other than Mr. and Mrs. Kei-chan."

"That makes two of us…" mumbled Keiichi under his breath.

Rena was staring at Ryuu curiously, like he was some kind of exotic animal from another dimension. "He looks…" she paused, as if trying to make a really hard decision, "CUUUTE!!"

Rena dove forward on Ryuu but Keiichi held his arm out to restrain her. "That's assault Rena-chan. You can't go jumping on people you haven't even met yet."

Rena awoke from her "take-it-home" mode. "Oh," she exclaimed as if she were having some revelation, "Okay!"

She calmly walked over to Ryuu, who was now attempting to grab the fluff ball with his hands but failing each time as it wisped away just at the last second. He didn't notice Rena standing next to him with a friendly, but anxious, smile.

"Umm… hi!" she greeted cheerfully, "My name's Rena. Rena Ryugu!" She held up her hand in salutation and gave him a warm look. Ryuu tore himself away from the fluff ball and looked to Rena. Suddenly his face flushed and his knees buckled. For once color appeared on Ryuu's face and a lot of it, giving him the appearance of a ripe tomato.

"Hi!" he exploded. Rena recoiled, surprised by his deafening greeting. "My name is Ryuu Maebarra! I used to live where Keiich-kun lives now! I left four years ago and came back yesterday!"

If Keiichi didn't know any better he'd say Ryuu was speaking to a drill-sergeant.

"Okay…" Rena smiled sweetly but her voice sounded severely creeped out, "Nice to meet you Ru-kun."

"Ru-kun?" he blinked curiously. Keiichi tried to hold back from laughing, whatever respect he had for Ryuu's normally calm and collect disposition had been shattered.

"Is that like a nickname?" he asked.

Rena nodded with a smile, "Do you like it?"

Ryuu didn't respond immediately, he seemed to be completely hypnotized by Rena's moe-ness.

Rena suddenly looked hurt when he didn't answer and bit her thumb again. "Oh… you don't like it…"

"No!" he said at once, waking from whatever fantasy he may have been having, "I love it! I've never had a nickname before!"

Rena giggled, making her look ten thousand times more cute in Ryuu's eyes. "You're funny!" she giggled.

Ryuu paused for a moment as he debated in his mind whether or not that was a good thing. But he quickly decided to take the compliment as he joined in with Rena's laughter, rather nervously.

"Hey Rena, where's Mion? I wanted to talk to her about something I heard on the news today," Keiichi asked, interrupting the flow of laughter.

"She left. She was still carrying that cute doll you gave her for her birthday and she didn't even know she was still holding it! It was sooo cute seeing her blush and run back home to put it back! And Mii-chan is almost never cute!"

"Whose Mion?" inquired Ryuu. "Keiichi, is she your girlfriend?"

It was now Keiichi's turn to turn beet red in the face from embarrassment.

"She is, isn't she?!" Ryuu grinned, feeling victorious, "I knew it."

"S-she's not my girlfriend!!" snapped Keiichi, although it'd be lying to say he hadn't thought of that before.

"Then why are you blushing? Huh Kei-chan? Huh?" Rena said with a small smile.

"Shut the hell up!" he retorted.

The trio walked to school without Mion after they decided they could no longer wait for her and arrived at the front door of the school before long.

"I remember going here!" exclaimed Ryuu fondly. "Does Chie-sensei still teach here?"

"I never knew you went to school here Ru-kun," said Rena as they stepped through the front door and ventured down the hall.

"Well I used to live here remember? And this is the only school in town if I remember correctly. Or have they built new ones since then?"

"No, this is still the only one. And yes, Chie-sensei still teaches here," Keiichi answered.

Ryuu grinned mischievously, his eyes glinting in a way that reminded Keiichi of Satoko minutes before one of her traps was about to be triggered. Speaking of Satoko…

"Hey Ryuu-san! Why don't you go first? I'm sure you're excited to see your old classroom again," Keiichi said, an evil grin creeping across his face.

"Sure."

Ryuu placed his fingers on the door's handle and slowly began open the door. Keiichi couldn't wait to see what special trap Satoko had brewed for him today. "_You won't get me today Satoko…"_ Keiichi thought, feeling triumphant.

"_Don't be so sure Keiich-kun_," rung a voice in Keiichi's head that sounded a lot like Satoko.

Keiichi stiffened. _"Satoko? In my head? How?"_

Keiichi looked down and noticed something odd about the floor this morning.

"How long has there been a rug here?" he asked himself. The moment those words escaped his lips he knew it was too late. He felt the rug slide out from under his shoes, sending him tumbling backwards.

Keiichi landed on something wet. _"_S-a-t-o-k-o!!" he roared with fury in every syllable.

He stood up, the ink tray still stuck to his rear, and stormed past a giggling Rena and a cackling Ryuu.

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho!" came the horribly familiar cackle of that deranged demon child. "Nice try Keiichi," she said victoriously, "I'm just too smart for you."

"Satoko I'm gonna break your legs! You little brat!" he bellowed as he made a dash for little Satoko. He came only inches away from his target when was halted abruptly by a stern looking Shion, glaring down at him with hostile eyes. "What do you think you're doing to poor defenseless Satoko?" she growled.

"Nee-nee!" cheered Satoko while at the same time sticking her tongue out at Keiichi.

"Damn you Shion!" barked Keiichi, his arms still flailing for the small blonde girl, despite the obstruction standing resolutely his way.

Miss Chie entered the room as if she did not see Keiichi with an ink tray plastered to his rear, trying to strangle Satoko from behind Shion. She had trained her mind to ignore such things so early in the morning.

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After about fifteen minutes of pure chaos in the classroom Miss Chie was able to settle down her class.

"Class! Stand! Bow!" ordered Miss Chie, pleased to see her orders followed by all her students. She nearly dropped her coffee when she saw _him_ standing in the class.

"M-Maebarra-kun…"

Everyone in the class turned to Keiichi, not knowing she was really addressing the tall, dark, lanky figure in the corner of the classroom.

"Yes?" both Keiichi and Ryuu said at once.

The class erupted in a wave of sudden hushed whispers and astonished gasps, as if they just noticed Ryuu standing in the corner.

"Chie-sensei! Who's that?" asked a little boy sitting next to Rika.

Miss Chie didn't answer; she just continued staring at Ryuu like he was the ghost of someone who died many, many years ago.

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A/N: Fun, fun. Don't have much to say about this chapter. I liked writing it is all I guess there is to say.

Friendly Reminder: Leave a comment telling me what you thought of this chapter. Remember, every time you don't leave a comment a whale dies.

Leave a comment if you want the whales to live.

Also remember, if you give me flames _**all**_ the whales in the world shall die.


	5. Chapter 4: The Monster

**Disclaimer: I still do not own the Higurashi franchise. I guess they aren't taking my threats seriously… but I can change that.**

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Chapter 4: The Monster

**Hinamizawa Police Station; 11:32 am; Detective Oishi's Office:**

He lit another cigarette using his silver lighter before pocketing it and sticking the cigarette in his mouth, heaving in a cloud of smoke. Next to him stood his assistant: Eric Stride, a young man in his late twenties with a clear complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair that was usually brushed back on his head except for a stubborn strand of hair that hung forward on his brow despite his efforts to comb it back. And although he was young he was one of the smartest men in the world. He came to Hinamizawa two years ago from Kent to train under Oishi and help him with the Hinamizawa murders. However he remained unknown to everyone but the police to help him avoid detection from the Sonozaki family who were still under suspicion at the time. He was standing next to him with a pistol concealed under his coat pocket. The men were waiting for someone they hoped they'd never have to lay eyes on again.

But alas, fate is cruel.

"He's late," said Eric, observing the clock sitting on Oishi's desk.

Oishi removed the cigarette from his mouth and puffed out a fresh plume of smoke and said in his gravelly voice, "Give the man a break. He just lost his arm."

"Still… he would've been late even if he still had it."

Oishi nodded and smiled to himself. "Can't argue with that," he agreed.

The phone on Oishi's desk began ringing and he picked it up held it to his ear. "Oishi here," he said, reclining in his chair.

"Detective Oishi, Mr. Lanyon has arrived," informed his secretary.

"Send him in," he instructed hanging the phone up and turning to Eric gravely, "He's here."

Eric placed a hand on the gun hidden in his coat, "Just say the word."

"Let's hope that won't be necessary. Only fire if he attacks us," Oishi whispered as he heard the approaching footsteps of Jack Lanyon.

The door opened and a disfigured looking man stepped into the room. Jack's young and handsome face had been scarred, apparently by a knife. The scar ran diagonally across his face and had apparently pierced his left eye which now wore a black patch-eye. And his left sleeve dangled limply at his side, making his missing arm very obvious. "Good evening gentlemen," he greeted pleasantly, placing his brown briefcase by the door and taking a seat in front of Oishi's desk.

"Lanyon," breathed Oishi, as if he were referring to some disgusting filth one would find at the bottom of their shoe. Oishi sat forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his desk, bringing the tips of his fingers together in front of his mouth thoughtfully."Why are you here?" he asked, glowering at him with his ancient looking eyes.

Jack dropped his pleasant front, revealing his true self to the two men as he gave Oishi an equally disgusted look. "Why the hostility detective?" he said with a raised eye-brow, "I mean no harm."

"That's what you said last time," snapped Eric angrily, making himself known to Jack for the first time.

Jack grinned and glanced at him briefly before speaking to Oishi. "Anyway," he continued, ignoring Eric, "I've come down here to give the two of you an assignment."

Eric's face contorted with outrage and he opened his mouth to make an objection but Oishi held up a silencing hand. "With all due respect," said Oishi calmly, "I don't think you have the right to assign either of us anything. _You_ are not our superior."

"Oh, but I am," responded Jack smugly, a pompous glint in his eye, "Here are my credentials."

He pulled out an I.D card from his jacket pocket. Judging by the fresh stitches on Jack's face in the picture Oishi could tell this was a relatively new photo. "What does this prove?" he asked.

"You will notice the word 'Chief" next to my name. 'Chief Jack Lanyon'. I work with the Japanese Military. Didn't I tell you?"

Oishi's grip on the I.D card tightened with frustration to the point where it almost cracked in his hand. "As of yesterday I became your superior," he informed in a voice so arrogant it made Oishi want to punch him. Oishi controlled his temper and threw the card down on his desk for Jack to pocket.

"What is a military official doing in a little old town like Hinamizawa?" asked Oishi, his arms crossed as he leaned back in his chair.

"No, no, no old man," said Jack, waving an admonishing finger at him, "That's classified. You just need to follow my orders and I'll be out of here before you know it."

Oishi and Jack's eyes locked fiercely. "The last thing I'm going to do Jack is take orders from a snot-nosed brat like you!" Oishi stood up and slammed his palms down on his desk angrily, "Now you take your god-damned orders and get the hell out of my office!"

_Click_.

Jack just cocked a pistol and was now holding it to Oishi's forehead, that smug grin still plastered to his face. Eric looked at Oishi urgently, silently asking what he should do. Oishi answered him by slightly shaking his head no.

"Sit," ordered Jack, like he was talking to some stubborn old dog.

Oishi sat down reluctantly, the barrel of Jack's pistol still being pressed against his wrinkled forehead. "Do you know how easy it would be for me to kill you? Do you know how easily I could get away?" seethed Jack, now sounding very impatient, "Do—not—try—me."

Oishi remained frozen after Jack lowered his gun but continued to hold it ready in his only remaining hand. Jack's impatient and stern face vanished and his pompous demeanor had returned as he reclined back in his chair. "I guess it can't be helped," sighed Jack, resting his feet on top of Oishi's desk and leaning back further in his chair, "Like father like son. Am I right Kuraudo Oishi-san?"

Oishi's stomach churned with fury as he clenched his fist tightly. Jack grinned when he realized he had touched a nerve. Oishi would've beaten the crap out of him then and there if Eric hadn't beaten him to it.

Eric took out his gun and pistol-whipped Jack on the back of his head before overturning the chair and disarming him, taking both pistols and casting them aside. He grabbed Jack's throat and lifted him in the air before slamming him down on the desk and kneeing him in the groin. "_**Never**_!" he screamed, inhuman fury in his voice, "Talk about Daichi in front of Oishi you murderer!!"

In the back of his mind, Oishi was thinking, _"I should probably stop him,_" but he decided to let Eric blow off some steam.

Jack couldn't speak with Eric's hands wrapped tightly around his throat; all he could do was make odd gargling noises.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill you just like you killed Daichi! You mother fucker!!"

Oishi stood up and gripped his partner's shoulder tightly, giving him a stern look. "That's enough Mr. Stride," he said, "My son… he didn't do what he had to do." As Oishi said that a tear rolled down his wrinkled old face. It killed him to say that about his son.

"NO!" bellowed Eric, releasing Jack but casting him roughly on the ground where he lay sniveling, "NO! Daichi did what he had to by not listening to this son of a bitch! Don't talk about your son like that Oishi please!"

"I said that's enough Eric!" barked Oishi as he assisted Jack in standing up. Eric looked hurt at being yelled at by Oishi, someone he had come to see as a teacher and a good friend. Oishi sat Jack down in his own seat and placed a hand on Eric's shoulder and looking him sternly in the eyes. "I appreciate what you're trying to do Eric," he whispered, "Daichi would've been glad to have seen you stand up for him like that. But you need to calm down. Jack has power now, more than before. He could have you killed and get away scot-free!"

They both glanced at Jack who was still trying to catch his breath, his hair looking disheveled and his one good eye red from tears. Eric couldn't stand how pathetic he looked right now. "We could've killed him and gotten away with it too," pointed out Eric, loud enough so only Oishi could hear him.

"Don't think like that," admonished the old man. "That's how people like him think. The last thing I want to see is a good kid like you get twisted around into something like… _that_," he jerked his head in Jack's direction, "Why don't you go home Eric? You look tired."

Eric didn't look happy about it but he left, making sure to take the guns with him. He closed the door of the office with one last hateful glance at the pathetic man sitting in Oishi's chair.

When the door clicked Oishi turned to Jack, his face now revealing the hatred he hid in Eric's presence. "Never talk about my son like that again," he said angrily, scowling darkly at him.

"Oh shut up," spat Jack, still trying to catch his breath. "What was his name again? That hooligan who just tried to kill me."

Oishi didn't answer.

"Well whatever his name was, tell him he's fired and if he ever shows up around this station again he'll be arrested and I'll see him put to death."

Fresh fury fueled his already furiously beating heart. He had no choice but to comply, Eric would be killed otherwise.

"Yes," he said barely above a whisper.

"Yes _what_?" asked Jack, his arrogance returning in full force.

Oishi flinched, as if what he was about to say would kill him.

"Yes _sir_," hissed Oishi through clenched teeth.

Jack smiled arrogantly and once again reclined in Oishi's chair, resting his feet on the desktop. "I'm glad _you_ have some manners Oishi. Just for that I'll let you keep your job," Jack said, "Now, down to business. My briefcase if you please detective."

Oishi grabbed the brown briefcase that Jack had laid by the door, clenching the handle as if it were Jack's throat, and laid it down on the desk. Jack removed his feet from the desktop and flicked open the briefcase after toying with the combination. Inside were a few files, some paper, and a handgun.

He took out the file first and slid it across the desk for Oishi to receive. The old man opened the file and saw it contained a picture of a young child, held in place by a paper clip. The boy looked happy and lively with his curious eyes, warm smile, and full face. "Who's this?" he asked.

"The one responsible for my condition," answered Jack darkly, "And for the deaths of 424 people."

Oishi looked at him dubiously. "You expect me to believe that this kid was responsible for so many deaths. He can't be more than twelve!"

"That picture was taken four years ago; a week before the tragedy at _Shishibone Cinema_. Another crime this man is guilty of."

Oishi's disbelief only grew. "Twenty-five men, women, and children were slaughtered that day. And Sonozaki Mion-san was nearly tortured to death by some fiend! You can't possibly expect me to believe this kid did all those things."

" 'M' is special," argued Jack softly.

" 'M'?"

"That's his codename. Even before he killed my staff Mr. Masato and I were the only ones who knew his real name."

"And what is his name?"

"Ryuu Maebarra. He is the nephew of Ichirou Maebarra who I believe moved here only a few months ago. This is why I think he came here, to Hinamizawa. Ryuu murdered his real parents; they're the only family he's got."

Oishi's heart skipped a beat. That meant he was staying with Keiichi-san!

"Well I'm friends with the Maebarra family. I'll be able to apprehend your suspect in no time," assured Oishi, sliding the file back to Jack and taking a seat in front of him.

"There is a problem with that though…" said Jack darkly, "You see, Ryuu Maebarra is no ordinary person. He is extremely dangerous but at the same time he is of great value to the Japanese government. Meaning, Ryuu must be returned to us _**alive**_."

"I'll just sedate him somehow," Oishi pointed out.

"Bullets will be unable to touch him, let alone tranquilizer darts. I made that mistake once," he motioned to his missing limb, "He's too fast. He'd be able to doge a bullet or a tranquilizer dart at point blank range if he wanted to. The only reason I was ever able to sedate him is because we had him heavily restrained. It slowed him down enough so that I was able to get a dart or two in to knock him out."

"Then what do you suggest I do? If he is as dangerous as you say then you should have the military working on this. Not me," said the old man hoarsely.

"The more foes Ryuu is confronted with the more dangerous he is," responded Jack quickly.

Oishi sighed deeply and pulled out a fresh cigarette before sticking it in his mouth and lighting it with his silver lighter. "Just what is this guy? No one can be that fast or that strong to be able dodge bullets and resist military force alone. It simply can't be done."

"That is confidential," Jack said monotonously, "Just know that he's dangerous."

"Fine. Be all mysterious, see if I give a damn," Oishi retorted bitterly, blowing a ring of smoke into the air, "But just what exactly are you asking me to do? Investigate him?"

"Watch him. Observe his movements for a while and report to me."

"Why not do it yourself?"

Jack didn't speak for a moment. He stared at a silver ballpoint pen sitting on Oishi's desk, thinking of how he should answer. "Let's just say," he began as his frown cracked into a grin, "that me and Ryuu have a… 'history'. Not to mention my distinguishing features," he raised his limp sleeve in the air and let it flop back down on the desk to enforce his point, "He'd be able to recognize me from a mile away."

"I see," nodded Oishi, "Then I suppose I don't have a choice do I?"

"None at all," snickered Jack as he closed his briefcase and stood up from Oishi's desk which was now smeared with the mud from Jack's shoes. Jack walked to the door and concluded their meeting with, "I expect a report regarding Ryuu's behavior every week.

Oishi only nodded in acknowledgment and waited to hear the door shut behind him and for Jack's footsteps to fade away. He stepped outside the door and immediately noticed Eric sitting curled up in the corner by his door, his eyes red from crying.

"So I guess I was out of line huh?" he said sadly when he noticed Oishi's presence.

"You heard?"

He nodded sadly, "I guess I'll be turning in my badge then."

Eric stood up and removed his badge from his jacket pocket dejectedly, holding it out for Oishi to take.

"What the hell are you doing Eric?" Oishi asked gruffly.

"Resigning sir. I heard Jack tell you I was fired."

"To hell with that brat!" cursed Oishi, "This is my station! You leave when _I _tell you to!"

"But… I'll be arrested if I show up again," he pointed out.

"Then you report to my house every day for your assignments. Speaking of which I have a job for you I think you're really gonna like."

Eric blinked silently, waiting for his orders.

"Find out where Jack is staying. I may be old but I still know when something isn't right. Lanyon's up to something and you and me are going to get to the bottom of it."

"What makes you think he's planning something?"

"There was a lot he wouldn't tell me. Plus I've always thought there was something odd happening in that asylum of his. I'll still try and catch this 'M' but I'm not giving him over to Lanyon or anyone else until we sort this out."

Eric nodded and pocketed his badge fondly, his face brimming with excitement and new found optimism, "Understood sir!"

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A/N: Another chapter done. So yeah… I'm running out of things to put in my author notes. Just leave a comment telling me what you thought and stuff.


	6. Chapter 5: Scars

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Higurashi franchise… damnit**

**A/N:** I would like to thank all of you who are still reading this fan fiction and I would especially like to thank those of you who were courteous enough to leave comments telling me how much you liked the story thus far. Thanks guys! Your comments really keep me going and get me to work hard in updating as much as possible. Thanks again!

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Chapter 5: Scars

"I'm Satoko Hojo!" piped the small blonde girl, standing amidst the large crowd of students that had accumulated around Ryuu's desk shortly after Miss Chie left to inform the principle of his return. She was rather flustered when she left.

"_We thought you were dead,"_ she had said.

"_What did she mean by that?_" Ryuu pondered to himself.

He quickly separated himself from his train of thought when he heard Satoko introducing herself. "Hojo? Are you Satoshi's younger sister?" he inquired. The mass amount of chatter surrounding Ryuu gradually began to hush when Satoshi's name was mentioned. Satoko looked hurt all the sudden, as if Satoshi's name caused her some kind of physical pain. Ryuu gave Keiichi an inquiring look.

Suddenly Ryuu felt a tiny hand tugging on his sleeve. He turned his head and saw a small blue haired girl standing next to him, wearing a cute little smile. Behind her was a shy looking purple haired girl with… horns? Are those real horns? Does no one find that odd?

"Nipah~!" cooed the little blue haired girl. "Please don't talk about Satoshi in front of Satoko or Shion-chan," she said, not unkindly but at the same time she sounded stern, "It upsets them. My name is Rika by the way."

"Why? What happened to Satoshi? He was my friend when I was still here," said Ryuu.

"Satoshi got sick," she said, her voice still maintaining its childish and kind disposition.

"Sick?" Ryuu looked at her inquisitively, "What does that mean?"

The horned girl tugged shyly on Rika's shirt, keeping her bashful eyes on Ryuu. The horned girl whispered something in Rika's ear, something that replaced her childish face with a very solemn, very grave look. She looked at Ryuu darkly; he could see worry behind her suddenly hard looking eyes.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked when her grim stare did not break.

"No…" she said, her voice sounding much deeper.

Ryuu again shot Keiichi questioning look but he was too busy checking his watch to notice him.

Ryuu turned back in the girl's direction and nearly collided with her head which was only half an inch away from his.

"You are very sick too," she said darkly, "Worse that Satoshi-kun ever was. Worse than any of the sick people I've seen."

"Rika-chan!" called Satoko who was standing next to Shion, holding her hand, "You're not scaring Ryuu-kun already, are you?"

Rika's facial expression did another turn around, suddenly becoming bright and cheerful as she faced her blonde friend. "No! We were just playing," she said innocently.

Ryuu wouldn't have called that playing. "_What is with this kid?"_ he asked himself mentally, "_What does she mean I'm sick? And what was with that face?"_

Rika skipped away over to Satoko, as if nothing had happened, the horned girl following her.

Ryuu gave everyone in the class inquiring looks, hoping that someone would be able to provide an explanation for such odd behavior. Most people merely shook their heads and shrugged. When his gaze fell upon Keiichi he noticed that he was again checking his watch.

"A watched pot never boils Keiich-kun," he said sagely.

Keiichi looked up from his watch, startled by the disturbance. "Just wondering what's taking Mion-chan so long to get here," he said, now looking at the clock hanging above the black board for the time.

"You're quite smitten with that girl aren't you Keiichi?" said Ryuu with a grin.

Keiichi's face heated up like a forest fire, glowing a brilliant crimson red. "No!" he snapped, his face still shining like a Christmas tree, "I'm just worried that… maybe something happened. Weird stuff happens around here all the time."

"Hauu~!" cooed Rena, appearing out of nowhere, "Kei-chan is soo cute when his face changes color like that!"

"S-shut up," he said, checking his watch again.

The door of the class room opened up and in came a young woman with a cocky grin, lively turquoise eyes, and a long green ponytail. She announced her arrival with, "Hey gang!"

_Thump, Thump_, went Ryuu's heart, painfully slamming against his ribs. This girl… he knew this girl…

A loud ringing flooded his ears and pain coursed through his skull. His legs itched to run. Panic was causing his muscles to twitch. His pupils were reduced to two tiny dots. He saw the mouths of his new classmates move but he could not hear anything over the high pitched whining that was threatening to burst his brain.

His body became rigid. He wanted nothing more in the world than to escape this place but fear kept him planted.

_"Kill her…"_ hissed a voice in his head that was not his own.

_"She told them about you… she is why you were locked up… KILL HER_ !!"

His fingers were twitching involuntarily as if they were trying to crawl over to this girl and strangle her themselves.

The voice of Jack Lanyon echoed in his mind, _"…you slaughtered twenty five people and traumatized one little girl."_

He heard her voice squeal in his head.

"_Stop it!"_

_"You're hurting her!"_

_"You're hurting _me_!"_

He heard her blood splash across the floor and splatter across the walls.

"_Oni-baba! Oni-baba!"_ she had cried. He remembered her tears, her blood soaked face and her crippled little body. Half of him was filled with guilt at the memory, the other half wanted to laugh.

"Ryuu!" cried a voice.

"Ru-kun! Wake up! Wake up!"

There was a flash of light and he suddenly found himself lying on his back, looking up at the three concerned faces of Keiichi, Rena, and Mion Sonozaki.

His face was drenched in cold sweat and his fingers hurt terribly for some reason. He looked down at his hands and saw that the tips of his fingers were torn up! Blood was trickling down from the fresh wounds. He sat up and saw Rika and the horned girl looking at him. The horned girl looked absolutely horrified, along with everyone else. Rika however looked sad, as if she had just lost at some game.

When she saw him looking at her she mouthed the words, "Very sick."

Ryuu stood up and nearly collapsed as his knees wobbled under his weight. He rested his hands on his desk for support. It was then he saw the many, many gashes in his desk. The blood stained scratches that ran across the wood surface of his desk in all directions.

"D-did I…" he couldn't finish his sentence, he just then realized how out of breath he was.

"I think you need to go see coach," suggested Mion. Her voice sent his mind into a brief panic attack.

Ryuu's mind once again fell deft to all noise but his own thoughts. He was staring at the scratches he had etched into the desktop and then at his own fingernails which were now full of tiny wooden splinters.

"What happened?" he asked, his eyes still glued to the desk.

"You tell us," said Keiichi, "You just started convulsing and scratching up the desk and collapsed on the floor. What came over you?"

Ryuu's eyes flickered over in Mion's direction but his mouth remained sealed. "Nothing," he said finally.

"_Nothing?_ Tearing up a desk isn't what I'd call _'nothing'_ pal," Mion said incredulously.

"I don't know!" he snapped, "I just… just blacked out and woke up on the floor okay!! I don't know why!"

He turned and faced the terrified student body, all of which had retreated to the opposite end of the room from where Ryuu was standing, the smallest hiding behind their elders in fear. Ryuu felt a pain in his chest when he saw their terrified faces.

He felt even worse when he saw Rena hiding behind Keiichi, staring at him like he was some kind of monster.

Mion stepped forward and grabbed his wrist. A bright light flashed in his head as he stifled the urge to break her arm. His heart was beating unnaturally fast as she pulled up his sleeve. She examined both of his bare wrists and ran her fingers across his skin like she was feeling for something.

When she didn't stop Keiichi coughed loudly.

"I'm just checking him!" she said.

"For what!?" cried Ryuu, his voice trembling with panic.

"Scars," she stated plainly.

"I'm not like that now you can let… let GO OF ME!!" he tore his wrist away from her, pulling down his sleeves.

"What about your neck?" she asked.

"What the hell are you talking about!? I'm not a cutter!" he insisted.

Mion said nothing but Ryuu could feel her eyes examine his throat carefully. "Well… I don't see any scars," she said. This seemed to surprise Rika.

"Why would I have scars on my neck? What is this all about?" he demanded.

Everyone else in the room seemed just as lost as Ryuu. All except Rika, Mion, Shion, Keiichi, Satoko, Rena and the strange horned girl.

"Mii-chan… you don't think Ru-kun is cursed do you? Do you?" she asked timidly, hiding behind Keiichi's figure.

"Cursed? What?! You guys believe in Oyashiro-sama's curse? That's the mos—"

Rika suddenly appeared by his side, her cute face being worn once again. "Time to go see coach!" she said, pointing to the door with her tiny little hand, "Let's go!"

"Who's coach?" Ryuu asked, his voice still sounding manic.

"He's a doctor. He's gonna fix Ryuu-kun! Nipah~!" she said sweetly, guiding him toward the door.

Ryuu looked at Keiichi, silently asking if he should go. Keiichi just nodded. Ryuu decided to play along and the further away he was from Mion the slower his heart rate became. Just as they were about to exit through the door Miss Chie came walking in with a big, muscular bald man in a suit who Ryuu recognized as the principle.

"Maebarra Ryuu-kun," he greeted fondly, "Good to see you back again!" Ryuu was surprised to see how anyone could be this calm after what just happened. It was an odd but refreshing change in mood.

He extended a large hand for Ryuu to shake. At first he felt unsure. His mind was still feeling very alert and it was telling him that placing his hand in someone else's grip could hurt him. And he did not like to be hurt.

However his hand moved, reluctantly, into his grip and he shook it firmly. "You still have that timid handshake, just like the old days," said the principle with a hearty laugh. However, it didn't take the principle long to feel warm blood oozing out of Ryuu's fingers. He grabbed his wrist and examined his fingers. "Who did this to you?" he asked sternly, examining the classroom for the culprit when his eyes fell upon the butchered desk in the corner of the room.

The principle examined his hand even closer and saw the tiny wooden splinters protruding in his fingers. "Rika-chan," he said, "Mion-chan, please escort Ryuu-kun to Dr. Irie's clinic. The rest of you please take your seats."

Ryuu's heart did a drum roll when he heard Mion give an affirmative, "Yes."

________________________________________________________________________

Ryuu was escorted by the two girls to Dr. Irie's clinic. He said nothing as he walked silently behind the two girls as they chattered amongst themselves, no doubt discussing Ryuu.

But he had tuned out their conversation. His eyes followed Mion's back as they walked. It was like he was trying to see through her clothing to get a better view of what was on her back. He needed to know if she was the same girl from four years ago or not. He had to know if she was the same girl he had hurt all those years ago. The answer to that question would be etched in her back in the form of a scar.

"What are you staring at?" she said suddenly in a tom-boyish voice.

Ryuu tore himself away from his thoughts and saw Mion grinning at him, as if she caught him with some dirty magazine, and Rika too was staring up at him with a smile.

"Uh oh! Ryuu-kun is having dirty thoughts! Bad! Bad!" scolded little Rika playfully.

Ryuu chuckled, hoping that if he just played along they'd turn around and leave him alone.

"Hey Ryuu-san," said Mion as they continued their walk, "I'm sorry if I freaked you out earlier by checking your wrists and all. I didn't think you were a cutter or anything! It's kind of complicated. No hard feelings right?"

"No, it's fine," he assured, "I guess you guys were just worried about my little battle with my desk. Sorry if I freaked _you_ out."

"We were more worried than freaked out," smiled Mion, "We've seen much worse."

Ryuu stared at her curiously. "Really?" he found that hard to believe.

"Nipah~!" cooed Rika, "We're here."

She pointed at a massive building looming in front of them with a sign in the front reading, "Irie Clinic."

Ryuu felt uneasy as he walked through the double doors of the clinic. It reminded him an awful lot of the asylum. Just thinking about it made him want to turn around. They walked down a long tile-floor corridor and came to a large waiting room where two young men stood behind a counter.

"Hm, those guys are new," pointed out Mion with a jerk to the two men behind the counter. One of them was a huge man who looked about twenty and was sitting in a cushioned chair with small wheels on each of the legs. He was big, burly, very wide built, and simply too intimidating to be working at a hospital. His white lab coat was much too small for him, making it hard for him to move his arms as he typed on the computer in front of him. Standing next to him was another man wearing a pair of glasses. He was very tall but incredibly skinny. Ryuu was reminded of a twig when he saw his arms.

"They're probably Takano's replacements. Irie-sensei can't run this place alone," suggested Rika.

"Oh yeah."

Mion led the two of them up to the counter and she waited to be noticed by the skinny man who had a pair of ear-buds plugged into his ears while listening to some very loud music. His fingers were drumming on the countertop to the drum beat and he was humming the lyrics to himself. Mion rapped her knuckles on the counter but got no response of any kind from the skinny man.

Mion had now resorted to clapping her hands in front of his face loudly but this guy didn't even blink.

The larger man sighed and wheeled over in his chair, knocking his colleague out of the way in the process. Even when sitting down this guy came up to Mion's head. "You'll have to excuse my friend," he said pleasantly, "He's easily distracted."

His friend was just now getting up from the ground after being knocked down by the large man, his head phones dangling from his walkman. "What the hell Hitoshi?!" he snapped in a squeaky voice, "I missed the drum solo!"

"You also missed a patient Ken," said Hitoshi, the bigger man, calmly.

Ken just noticed Mion, Ryuu, and Rika standing behind the counter and his face flushed. "Sorry," he said quickly with an apologetic bow as he pocketed his ear-phones. Hitoshi wheeled out of the way and continued typing so Ken could properly speak to the three of them.

"All righty," he said as he removed a pen from his lab-coat pocket and held it ready over a piece of paper, "What brings you here young lady?"

"Actually it's about my friend," she said, "We need to see Dr. Irie."

He wrote something down on the form.

"Sure thing," he said while adjusting his glasses, "Mind telling me what the trouble is though?"

Ryuu held up his bleeding fingers for him to see. Ken's eyes widened in shock. "Good God!" he exclaimed, "What happened?"

"Stop patronizing the children," said Hitoshi irritably, "Just call Irie and have him take a look at it!"

Ken cast his friend an angry look before stepping out from behind the counter to fetch Irie. Both the doctor and Ken returned moments later.

"Ahh! Mion-chan! Rika-chan! Good to see the both of you!"

He didn't even seem to notice Ryuu, who was standing in front of both the girls. Ryuu saw Irie holding something behind his back. "Riikaa-chan!" he sung whimsically, "I have a surprise for you!"

"What is it doctor?" she asked, Ryuu could detect the dread hidden behind her pleasant voice.

Irie whipped out a tiny little nurse outfit and began waving it in the air proudly like it was his nation's flag. "Ta-dah!!" he said happily, "I got a new outfit for you! See! It's a nurse outfit! Now you can be my little assistant!"

Ryuu's face flushed as he pictured young, innocent little Rika in such a revealing nurse outfit.

"Ryuu-kun is having bad thoughts again," snickered Mion knowingly.

"I can't help it!" he retorted.

"So how about it Rika-chan! Will you put this on for me? Pleeaaase!"

The pedophile-alarm just went off in Ryuu's brain. He looked at both Hitoshi and Ken, expecting them to intervene. Hitoshi was reading a magazine while reclining lazily in his seat while Ken had just begun playing the air-guitar while making various sound effects and rocking his head.

Mion too just stood there, rubbing her temples like she was trying to expel a particularly bad headache.

"Sorry Irie-sensei," she said sweetly, "Oishi said if you keep this up then he'll have to taze you! Bzzt! Bzzt!"

Irie lowered the nurse outfit, looking defeated and dejected. "Fine," he pouted.

"I have a sick friend today Irie-sensei!" said Rika.

Irie looked at Rika and then Ryuu as if he just appeared out of nowhere. He saw his bleeding hands and quickly grabbed his wrists, examining them just like Mion had.

"I already checked him doctor," Mion assured, "His neck is fine too."

_"Why does everyone think I cut my wrists? Do I look that emo?"_

Irie didn't look convinced. "So he's sick, huh Rika?"

She nodded, "Yes. Very, very, very, very, very, very sick."

Irie met Rika's gaze, looking very worried as if Rika's sentence had some dark hidden meaning.

"I'm not sick," said Ryuu, "I just got my fingers cut in an accident."

"He scratched his desk up," Rika said quickly.

Mion and Ryuu cast Rika a surprised glance. _"Why the hell would you tell him that!? He's gonna think I'm a psycho now!"_

"Is this true?" he asked Ryuu, the grip on his wrist becoming tighter.

Ryuu looked at Rika angrily; upset she had told him about his "episode".

"Yes…" he said shamefully.

Irie didn't release his grip. His eyes remained focused on Ryuu for a long time from behind his glasses.

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Fun, fun, fun. Fun stuff is going to happen next chapter! That's right! The fluff begins next chapter! Hail fluff! Hail! Leave a comment and tell me what you thought okay!?


	7. Chapter 6: KakouSaishi

**Disclaimer: I do not own Higurashi**

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Chapter 6: Kakou-Saishi

"There isn't anything wrong with him Rika-chan," assured Irie for the umpteenth time.

Rika and Irie were sitting in a dimly lit room, observing Ryuu from behind a sheet of one way glass. They could see him but he couldn't see them. Ken was currently working on removing each of the splinters from Ryuu's fingers with Mion standing in the corner, flicking him in the ear for every time he flinched.

"You wimp!" she snickered after Ryuu made a tiny yelp when Ken, who was listening to his headphones, pulled out one of the larger splinters, "It's just a splinter."

"I will admit," continued Irie, "he is extremely jumpy but if he was L6 then he'd probably be dead by now or at the least be covered in scars from scratching himself. I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"You didn't see him though," said Rika darkly, "He nearly ripped his desk apart when Mion came in the room."

"Odd behavior," agreed Irie with a light nod, "But maybe it's not the Hinamizawa Syndrome. It might just be regular paranoia."

"Hold still damnit!" cursed Ken, "You knocked my headphones out!"

"Well maybe if you were concentrating more on your job instead of your music I wouldn't have a reason to worry!" retorted Ryuu.

"This isn't brain surgery kid!" he snapped back, "I don't need to 'concentrate'. I could do this with my eyes closed." He popped his headphones back on his head and made a satisfied smile. "Sweet," he said as he continued his prodding, "Drum solo."

"Who are those two? The new guys," asked Rika.

"My brothers," said Irie sadly, "Hitoshi is actually a pretty competent doctor but Ken got the two of them kicked out of their old office. I won't say why. So I let them come work for me."

"My sympathies," Rika said as Ken began singing along shrilly with the lyrics while Mion shoved a pair of cotton balls in her ears.

"Irie, you're not going to let him go are you?" asked Rika, her voice still heavy and deep.

"Hm? Of course not! He may be a pain but he's my brother and I—"

"No. Not Ken. I was talking about Ryuu. You're not going to let him leave the clinic are you? He's dangerous."

Irie stared down at the blue haired girl as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Rika. I can't do that. I don't see anything wrong with him. The only reason I keep Satoshi-kun here is because I saw him try and rip apart his wrist with my own eyes. While Ryuu's behavior was strange it isn't enough for me to lock him up like some wild animal!"

Rika's eyes locked with Irie's, her gaze suddenly became intense. "If any blood is spilt by him," she said, her voice sounding deeper than he had ever heard it, "it will be on your hands, Irie-sensei."

______________________________________________________________________________

After Ken removed the final splinter he bandaged each of his fingers and tossed Ryuu a pair of black gloves. "Those gloves will keep the bandages on tight," he said, finally removing his headphones, "So wear those when you go out if you want your fingers to heal."

Now it was just Ken, Irie, and Ryuu in the room. Rika and Mion had gone back to school.

"Thank you," said Ryuu politely as he fastened the gloves on.

"I'll walk you back to school Ryuu. I know what it's like to be new here and it can be pretty easy to get lost," Irie said, laughing half-heartily as if he were recalling a humorous but painful memory.

"Oh I'm not new here," contradicted Ryuu, "I was born in Hinamizawa. But I was t- I left four years ago after my parents died."

This topic seemed to intrigue Irie. He was so interested he forgot that Ken was standing next to him with his headphones back on, pounding away at an invisible drum set.

"Really?" he pried, "Rika didn't mention that."

"I don't think I told her… directly anyways," he slipped on his shoes, "By the way, I have a question about Rika I was wondering if you could answer."

Irie blinked, awaking from his deep thought, "Okay, shoot."

"Have you noticed that sometimes she acts all kiddy and sweet but the next moment she acts like that girl from _The Ring?_"

Irie decided to play dumb. "Hm… nope. I don't think I can remember a time where Rika wasn't smiling."

Ryuu didn't seem to buy it but he didn't press the matter. "If you say so," he said skeptically, "I think I can make it back to school on my own. Thanks for your help today doctor!"

Irie made his farewells and stood by the window of his office, waiting for Ryuu to step out of the double doors. When he did he watched him go down the dirt path leading back to the school.

"_Maybe Rika-chan was right… Could Ryuu really be a L6? I didn't even know there was such a thing._"

He saw something rustle in the trees below as Ryuu passed them. Ryuu also noticed the disturbance and stopped sharply, his eyes glued to the rustling tree. He stood there for five minutes before moving forward again, keeping his eyes on the tree until it was out of view.

Irie continued observing the same tree from his office window. He got an uneasy feeling about whatever may be on the other side.

The tree rustled once more and out of the branches came a rather fat, old, wrinkled man with a black shirt and red suspenders. The man lit a cigarette and jotted something down on a small notepad before clicking his pen and following the trail Ryuu was currently on.

______________________________________________________________________________

By the time Ryuu returned to school, class was nearly over. He had time to sit down only to be asked by Miss Chie to take the desk he had ruined and place it outside for the trash men to take. He did so irritably, and spent the rest of his time in the classroom standing in the corner of the class, doing nothing.

"You should have reminded me to bring school supplies," he snapped at Keiichi when dismissal had finally come, "Now I have extra work to do because I was unable to do it in class."

"Oh shut it," retorted Keiichi while stowing his school supplies in his locker, "You wouldn't have been able to write crap on that desk of yours. You know the principle has to buy a new one now?"

"Geeze Keiichi, you're the only one still fussing about that!"

No one really seemed to care about Ryuu's former battle with his desk anymore, like it was old news or something. He came in expecting the classroom to get really quiet or something when he walked through the door. He thought he would've been ostracized from the others after what he'd done. But they welcomed him back with open arms. People asked how he was, how his hands were feeling, not at all the welcome he was expecting. It was a kindness that was completely foreign to Ryuu.

The classroom emptied after about ten minutes, leaving no one but Keiichi, Ryuu and the other girls.

"Sorry guys!" said Mion apologetically as she grabbed her school bag and made for the door, "No club meeting today! Oni-baba said I had to come straight home after class today."

Ryuu perked his head up curiously, "Club?"

"She didn't tell me that," said Shion, "What's going on Onee-chan?"

"She said I had to help plan the _Kakou-Saishi_ this year."

The room suddenly lit up with girlish squeals and giggles, leaving the boys standing there in the dark.

"_Kakou-Saishi?_ What's that?" inquired Keiichi.

More girlish giggling.

"It's a festival of love Keiich-kun! L-U-V love!" squealed Rena, hugging herself tightly to enforce her point.

"Another festival?" sighed Keiichi with a raised eyebrow,"Any scary curses I should know about?"

"Just one!" said Mion with a grin, "If you don't get a date then that means seven years of bad luck for you!"

"I thought that was mirrors," Ryuu said musingly.

Mion shrugged.

"Wait a minute… I don't remember ever doing anything like this when I was here…"

"Huh? You used to live here Ryuu-kun?" queried Shion.

"Yeah, four years ago. I thought Chie-sensei told you guys that already."

"We didn't want to jump to conclusions," said Satoko, "That would explain how you knew my nii-nii- I mean Satoshi!"

"Are you sure Ryuu-san? I don't remember you at all," said Mion.

"…_traumatized one little girl. Dr. Koizumi down at the therapy center saw her for at least two whole years until she was able to forget _you_," _echoed the voice of Jack Lanyon once again.

"I was a quiet kid," lied Ryuu, "Plus I looked a lot different back then."

Mion shrugged, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Anyway, the reason you wouldn't remember the _Kakou-Saishi_ is because my grandma only recently declared it a holiday here. Back during the Hinamizawa murders everyone was really scared after the Watanagashi. So she suggested that we should have a festival at the end of summer to take everyone's mind off of the murders. It was going to be a one-time thing but we loved it so much she made it annual."

"And everyone has to get a date?" asked Ryuu tentatively, his eyes flickering over to Rena.

"Only if you're twelve or older. It's optional for the youngsters," Mion answered, doing a comical imitation of an old man.

Rena slid over next to Keiichi, beaming at him. "So who are you going to ask Keiich-kun? Who?"

"Uhhh… it'll be a surprise," he said in a way that made it sound more like a question than an answer.

"Ohhhh… is it Rena? Is it?" she asked, bobbing up and down on her toes with excitement.

Both Ryuu and Mion wore equally disgruntled frowns. "Hey!" they said simultaneously.

"Who are you asking Rena-san?" Ryuu asked, trying to distract her from Keiichi.

Rena shook her head, "Rena can't ask. The boys have to ask the girls."

That made both Ryuu and Keiichi look even more distressed. "Why?" they said concurrently, dread in their voices.

"That's the rules," answered Mion, "My grandma thinks it's more traditional."

"That's a stupid rule," fussed Ryuu.

"Stop complaining," Keiichi chuckled, "If it was up to the girls to ask us out you would be the one to wind up dateless."

Ryuu gave Keiichi a hateful look, one that sent shivers down Keiichi's spine and made him think of death. "Stop it! That's creepy!" cried Keiichi.

Ryuu's death glare remained frozen, chilling Keiichi to his core.

______________________________________________________________________________

"I can't believe you were watching the news this morning and didn't think of checking the weather," growled Ryuu over the downpour of rain cascading from the dark gray clouds above.

"Well I don't usually have to worry about a second person. I keep my umbrella in my locker," explained Keiichi.

"What?! You're sharing your umbrella with Mion right now!" Ryuu argued.

Both Keiichi and Mion were sheltered under the cover of Keiichi's black umbrella while Ryuu was getting completely drenched. Despite Ryuu's predicament Mion was looking extremely pleased with herself.

"Rena-chan said you could use her umbrella!" argued Keiichi.

"Hers is like half the size of yours! There was only enough room for one of us," he said, desperately wishing in the back of his mind to be walking side by side with Rena snuggly under an umbrella, much like what Keiichi and Mion were now.

"Ryuu… idiot… she was trying to lend you her spare umbrella," sighed Keiichi, shaking his head at his cousin's own stupidity.

"Huh?" he turned to Rena, "You have a spare?"

Rena looked at him tentatively, clutching her small orange umbrella closer to her. She bit her thumb softly and nodded her head. "I thought I told you Ru-kun…" she said in a sad voice, "I'm sorry."

"No… no… I'm not mad…" his reddening face said otherwise.

"You sure?" asked Rena bashfully, "You can have this umbrella if you want."

"No, thank you," he said, "Let's just get home as soon as possible, I'm getting soaked."

It wasn't long until they came to the bridge which marked the separation of the four friends.

"Okay, I'll see you guys tomorrow!" said Rena, waving to them as she departed, "Bye Keiich-kun! Bye Mii-chan! Bye Ru-kun!"

"Bye!" they all said in chorus.

"Well I guess you'll be going too then right Mion?" asked Ryuu, eager to get under the dryness of Keiichi's umbrella at long last.

"Oh yeah," she said sadly, "Then I guess I'll see you two tomorrow. Thanks for letting me use your umbrella Kei-chan."

Mion tore herself away from the safety of Keiichi and his umbrella and slowly walked toward the bridge.

"You can take it with you," offered Keiichi, holding his umbrella out for her, "Your house if further away so you'll need it more than I will."

"I'll be fine," she said with a confident grin, "I've had it worse."

_Slip!_

Mion fell forward the very second her foot touched the stone bridge, landing on her stomach with a hollow thud.

"Mion!" Keiichi cried, dropping the umbrella and dashing over to the bridge to where she was struggling to get up.

Ryuu snatched up the umbrella and gratefully shielded himself from the downpour.

Mion turned over on her backside and cringed.

"Are you okay!?" he exclaimed, "Where are you hurt!?"

Before she could answer she felt Keiichi place a firm hand on her head, running it softly through her wet hair. "What are you doing?" she asked nervously.

"I'm feeling for a bump. Does your head hurt at all?" he asked, his voice sounding urgent.

She shook her head. In reality she felt completely fine, her arms were just a little sore from breaking her fall. But she decided to take advantage of the situation.

"I think I may have sprained my ankle though…" she said, trying to sound injured.

"Which one?" he gently rubbed his hand up and down her left ankle, "This one?"

"No," she took his hand in hers and guided it to her other ankle tenderly, "I think it's this one."

Ryuu rolled his eyes at Mion's poor acting. Even behind the thick haze of the rain he could tell she was faking it.

Mion's heart did a drum roll and her body began to heat up like an oven despite the icy cold rain. She still kept her hand over his, her fingers instinctively mingling in his. Keiichi didn't even seem to notice.

"Can you walk?" he asked suddenly.

"I don't think so…" she lied; things were going just as she planned.

Without any warning, Mion felt herself being swooped up off the wet and cold bridge, Keiichi cradling her in his arms.

Mion could feel the muscles in his arms flex and bulge as she was scooped from the ground. She never knew he was this muscular.

"Is it all right if I carry you to your house?" he asked.

Mion just nodded.

"Ryuu!" he called, "We need to get to Mion's house."

_"_Uh… _We?_"

"Yeah I need you to come too," he said, "You have to hold that umbrella over us!"

"Are you kidding me!?" he cried in outrage.

"You're already soaked dude! Come on! When a woman is in danger a man always steps up!"

"God damn Keiichi you're such a frickin' tool." Ryuu dragged his feet over to the two teenagers and held the umbrella over them as instructed while grumbling a long list of swear-words under his breath. "Ready when you are," he growled.

They began crossing the bridge slowly with Ryuu in tow, sheltering his cousin and Mion from the rain. She hadn't taken her eyes off Keiichi since he picked her up. He looked so worried for her… she felt touched knowing he cared so much about her. She shifted in his arms, rolling inward towards Keiichi's chest and snuggling up against him fondly, appreciating the firmness of his chest. If it weren't for the icy rain beating down on her skin she probably would have fallen asleep in his arms. _"This is much better than that old doll…_" she thought to herself.

She was so submersed in her own thoughts she didn't notice Keiichi looking down at her intently. He was surprised how peaceful she looked in his arms; almost like she was sleeping there… he had to fight off the urge to caress her alluringly soft cheek.

In the midst of all this Ryuu was still trudging behind them, struggling to keep the umbrella over their heads, when he noticed something coming up in the road.

"Incoming pothole!" cautioned Ryuu, pointing to the small hole in the middle the road.

Too late.

Keiichi stumbled forward with Mion in his arms, tripping over the small ditch. When Mion realized she was in danger of falling she instinctively clung to Keiichi's shoulders for dear life.

Thinking fast, Ryuu swiped his hand out and grabbed Keiichi by his collar in the nick of time, only seconds before they would have splashed into the muddy road.

"Look where the hell you're going man!" scolded Ryuu, "I shouldn't have to be on lookout duty! You're the one in the front!"

He began heaving Keiichi back, dragging his foot out of the hole, and helped him stand erect again.

Keiichi was clinging onto Mion tightly, his heart pounding like a chain-gun. He looked down at the green haired girl cradled in his arms, relieved to see she was safe. She had returned to her formal position, curled up around Keiichi's torso like a cat would curl up around a warm fire. Keiichi's grip around her became tighter still as he raised her body a little higher so her head was directly under his chin.

He suddenly felt very protective of the green haired girl, although he knew she was far from fragile. He never wanted to let go of her… She had already fallen once and he nearly let that happen a second time. Although some would call it obsessive… he never wanted to see her get hurt again…

"You alright?" he asked softly.

Ryuu was still standing there, waiting for some kind of "thank you" for saving the two of them from a muddy spill.

"Yeah…" she said softly, nuzzling up against him. _"I'll be alright with you here…"_ she thought to herself.

It had already been five minutes and the three of them were still standing there in the rain despite Ryuu's efforts to get them moving.

"Yes, yes wonderful," said Ryuu impatiently, poking Keiichi in the back with the umbrella like it was a cattle-prod; "I hope the two of you catch Hypothermia! Let's move!"

Reluctantly, Keiichi continued moving forward, carefully avoiding the pothole.

Ryuu didn't even bother to hold the umbrella over them this time. They were so oblivious of their surroundings right now that he was sure they had forgotten it was raining.

Sonozaki manor was in now in view, which marked the end of Keiichi and Mion's blissful walk.

"I'm guessing this is your… mansion," said Ryuu, his jaw went numb when he beheld the size of Mion's manor.

Keiichi and Mion were, once again, silent.

"Hey," he snapped his fingers in Keiichi's ear, trying to get his attention.

Keiichi blinked, like he was awaking from some kind of coma. "Huh?" he said absently.

"Ask your girlfriend if this is her house or not! Come on! My bandages are getting wet!" he said with irritation.

Keiichi seemed to just realize he was standing in front of Sonozaki manor. "Oh… wait here," he said, still sounding distant and dream-like, "I'll take her inside."

"Fine," he said bitterly, "Hurry up though."

Keiichi walked through the old, traditional Japanese gateway and up to the front door.

He rapped his knuckles against the door, which was opened by the last person he wanted to see him carrying Mion. It was Kasai, Shion's bodyguard. Despite the fact he was strictly a bodyguard he was very protective of both the Sonozaki twins. This included Mion.

"Maebarra-san," he said in a deadly voice, "What are you doing with Mion-chan?"

Keiichi stared up at the burly man, trembling in fear. "She uh… slipped and hurt her ankle so I-I carried her back home!"

Even though Keiichi couldn't see Kasai's eyes behind his pair of sleek sunglasses he could tell he didn't believe him. He demonstrated his doubt by cracking his knuckles in a threatening manner.

"Kasai!" called a woman's voice, "What is going on?"

Kasai stepped out of the door frame, revealing a green haired woman standing there. It was Mion's mother, another person Keiichi didn't want to see right now.

Akane's face lit up with glee when she saw her daughter being carried by the young man.

"This is just… precious!" she whispered while beaming at Keiichi, "Did you carry her all the way over here just because she fell asleep?"

"What?" He looked down upon a sleeping Mion, cuddled up against Keiichi like he was her favorite stuffed bear. _"Holy crap! How long has she been sleeping like that!?"_ he exclaimed mentally.

"I'll take her," said Akane, holding out her arms readily.

Keiichi almost didn't want to hand off Mion. A small part of his brain was telling him to turn around and run home with her. But his better judgment prevailed and he placed Mion into her mother's arms.

"Oof! She's heavy," said Akane with a light laugh, "and wet… Can you believe there was a time I was able to hold this girl in one arm? She's grown so much. I hope you take good care of her Maebarra-kun."

Keiichi stiffened upon hearing that last sentence and he could also hear Kasai somewhere in the room, growling at him.

"Oh shush Kasai!" snapped Akane in a hushed tone, "Maebarra-kun would make a fine husband for my daughter."

"I have to go!" said Keiichi in a robotic sounding voice, "I have… chores."

Without saying goodbye he waddled away, feeling light-headed, and met Ryuu by the gate.

"Just to be clear," Ryuu began as they begun their walk home, "She _isn't_ your girlfriend?"

"How many times do I have to tell you 'no'?" said Keiichi crossly.

Ryuu shot his cousin a disbelieving look. "And you don't think carrying her home like that didn't look at all… intimate or romantic?"

"I was just carrying her…"

"…like a groom carries his bride into a honeymoon suite," finished Ryuu.

"Shut up. By the way, you still have to wipe your foot and handprints off the walls and stuff when we get back! Don't think I forgot."

"Aunt Aiko told you to do it," Ryuu chortled.

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A/N: Fun, fun, fun. Let the fluff begin. I couldn't think of a good way to end this chapter so I just left if with that. I like this one, though I think it may be a little cheesy at some parts. Oh well. It took some time but I'm pretty proud of it. I just hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. Leave a comment and tell me what you thought.


	8. Chapter 7: Defying Yourself

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Higurashi franchise… blah, blah, blah**

**______________________________________________________________________________**

Chapter 7: Defying Yourself

Mion woke up in her bed feeling dazed. She could hear the rain splash off the window in her bedroom. The first thing she noticed is that night had fallen. She must have been asleep for hours… What did she do before she fell asleep? The last thing she remembered was Keiichi carrying her… was that a dream?

No, she had fallen asleep in his arms… that's right…

She felt a sudden twinge of disappointment when she no longer felt his arms wrapped around her and she could no longer feel her arms around him in turn. She reached for her pillow and hugged it close to her, rolling over on her side. She sat up for a moment, half expecting to see Keiichi standing in the room, waiting for her to wake up, but her only company was the little blonde doll sitting proudly on her dresser like some trophy.

As her eyes came to rest on that doll she realized how much Keiichi cared for her and how much she depended on his compassion. He knew somehow that she wanted that doll from him as a gift when he was shopping for her birthday present. And she would never forget how urgent his face looked when she had slipped on the bridge. She felt bad for taking advantage of his kindness but she couldn't help but feel proud of her own cunning. A proud smile cracked on her sleepy face as she rolled over again, the pillow still held tightly to her. In her mind she was visioning the pillow as Keiichi, hugging her tenderly during the _Kakou-Saishi._

_"Crap!!_" the red alert went off in her head, waking her instantly, "_I'm supposed to be planning the Kakou-Saishi right now!_"

She leaped from her bed and dashed out the door before sliding down the hall so fast she nearly collided with the wall every time she had to turn a corner. She was half way to the dining hall when she realized she was wearing her pajamas. Her mother must have changed her out of her wet clothes while she was sleeping. She spun around and sprinted back to her room as fast as her legs would carry her and quickly got into her best Kimono. She then rushed back down the hall and finally came to the dining hall, completely out of breath.

She was trying to collect herself when she heard Oishi talking from the other side of the door.

"She doesn't remember it at all?" he asked.

Mion pressed her ear to the thin walls and silenced her heavy panting, listening intently. Why was Oishi here? Who were they talking about?

"No," answered her mother, "Dr. Koizumi down at the asylum just said she forgot all about it one day."

There was silence; the only noise was Oishi pacing the room and the rain falling outside.

Finally her grandmother spoke up, her voice fraught with worry, "How dangerous is this man Oishi? I know what he did at the cinema but you seem awfully worried…" That was the first time Mion had ever heard her grandma sound worried at all. She was usually so strong and calm but she sounded so old and weak right now, like someone near death.

"Well, he killed over three-hundred-fifty men and women in under an hour. Not to mention about fifty of those people were heavily armed and specially trained soldiers. My sources tell me he killed them all with a simple pocket knife so I'm going to say yes, he's pretty dangerous," he answered gravely.

The cicadas began screeching shrilly, like nails on a chalk board.

"Detective…" began her mother in a trembling voice, on the verge of tears, "…please… we need to know… is my daughter going to be safe?"

Mion pressed her ears even closer to the wall to the point where it almost hurt.

"That is why I came here," said the old man, "I need your permission to keep your daughter under surveillance until we can catch this murderer."

"Of course," agreed both her grandmother and her mother at once.

"Thank you," she could hear Oishi sigh heavily as he sat down, "That takes a load off my shoulders."

"Do you know who this man is Oishi?" inquired Oryo urgently, "Is he in the village?"

"Actually… he has already come in close contact with your daughter several times."

Mion's whole body was teeming with apprehension. There was a killer out to get her? And he had already come in close contact with her? She hadn't seen him… unless.

"I don't know for sure," continued Oishi, "but I think the killer is Keiichi Maebarra's cousin, Ryuu Maebarra."

Mion's knees failed her and she fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"What was that?!" Oishi said quickly. She could hear him grunt as he stood up. "Who's there!?" he cried. She heard his heavy footsteps approach the door and she quickly dashed down the hall, making as little noise as humanly possible.

She turned the corner just in time. Just as she hid behind the wall she heard the door slide open and Oishi step out. Her heart was slamming against her chest so hard she actually feared that Oishi would hear it and find her. Sweat was accumulating on her brow as she heard his footsteps gradually become louder. She wanted to run but she knew it was too late; the corridor was too long for her to get away quietly and unseen.

Suddenly the footsteps started to fade, indicating Oishi had given up his search.

The door closed again and she could hear the muffled voices of the three adults but she couldn't make out any words. She didn't care though… she didn't want to hear anymore… but despite her attempts to block out all memory of that conversation she could still hear it replaying in her head like a broken record.

_"She doesn't remember it at all?"_

_"No, Dr. Koizumi down at the asylum just said she forgot all about it one day."_

Where they talking about her? What did she forget?

She grabbed a fistful of her long green hair and clenched her teeth. This all sounded so familiar!

_"I know what he did at the cinema but…"_

The cinema? Hinamizawa never had a cinema and neither did Shishibone… or did it? _"Wait, I remember…_" She remembered something awful that happened in that cinema. She remembered screaming and bleeding. She remembered pain and tears. She remembered…

Something in her head snapped. It felt like a bomb had literally exploded in her skull as the pain filled her head. Her vision became blurry and she felt like someone was holding a vacuum to her brain and whatever it was that she remembered only seconds ago she suddenly forgot. But the pain lingered in her head still. It felt like the inside of her skull was on fire. It was unbearable!

She felt her gut churning painfully, as if her stomach fluids were being stirred by a sharp knife. She clapped her hands over her mouth to contain her screams as she dashed for the bathroom, quickly locating the toilet. She hung her head over the toilet bowl on all fours which triggered the wave of vomit that had been trying to escape her stomach.

A bitter taste clung to her tongue and once her stomach was empty of all unwanted fluids, her arms and legs gave way and she collapsed on her side. Her head was still in racking pain…

She knew she had forgotten something and she knew it had something to do with the conversation she had just overheard but she couldn't remember what it was she had forgotten. It felt like someone had taken a jackhammer to her skull…

"…_I think the killer is Keiichi Maebarra's cousin, Ryuu Maebarra."_

"Keiichi!" she exclaimed as she shot up. Ryuu is staying at his house! Ryuu is a killer! _"He's going to kill Keiichi!_"

She stood up, her strength returning in full force, and made for the phone that sat on her nightstand. She dialed his number, her fingers moving like lightning, and she waited for him to pick up.

______________________________________________________________________________

"_Pick it up…"_ said a voice in his head, startling him. Ryuu sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes and trying to block out the loud ringing. He checked the time… it was 12:00 pm. "Who the hell is calling…" he grumbled sleepily, "Gaahh… Keiichi'll get it."

Oh wait… no he wouldn't. He had forgotten Keiichi had given Ryuu the guest bedroom to sleep in, which he was pleased to see was twice as big as Keiichi's room. The only trouble was Ryuu would be the only one who would be able to hear the ringing since the guest room is on the main level along with all the phones in the house.

"Gay…" grumbled Ryuu as he lay back down and pulled the covers over him, "I'm not getting it."

It continued to ring.

"_Pick it up… NOW!_" shrieked the voice, startling Ryuu out of his western style bed. If Ryuu wasn't so tired he would have cared more that he was hearing voices but his drowsiness was stifling his logic.

He dragged his feet to the kitchen slowly until he was finally able to reach the phone.

"Hello?"

Mion almost had a heart attack when she heard Ryuu's voice. She couldn't speak… her tongue had gone stiff.

"_Hello_?" said Ryuu again, his voice distorted slightly by the static.

"H-hello…" Mion's voice was trembling in fear, "Ryuu?"

"Mion-san?" Ryuu was wide awake now. He could detect the fear in her voice and he could tell who that fear was directed to. She was afraid of him… did she remember?

"Are you alright Mion?" Ryuu asked sincerely, "Did you get hypothermia from standing out in the rain for so long? I told you…"

"_I want to speak with Keiichi!"_ she nearly screamed.

Ryuu had a bad feeling about this.

"_Sure. Is something wrong_?" Ryuu inquired.

Mion could sense the knowing in his voice. He knew! He knew that she knew about him! Her legs were telling her to run; she was so scared she nearly forgot that Ryuu was several houses away from her and that he was not standing in her bedroom

"_Nothing's wrong,"_ she lied.

Ryuu heard her hesitate. _"She's lying!"_ warned a voice in his head, _"She's a liar!"_

"Ryuu, who's on the phone?"

Ryuu almost wet himself when he heard Keiichi's voice. The kitchen lights suddenly flicked on, blinding Ryuu. There stood his cousin under the doorframe, his finger still under the light switch. He looked as tired as Ryuu had moments ago as he slid his feet across the floor to make his way to his cousin.

"Who's on the phone?" he asked again.

"_Is that Keiichi?!"_ Mion's voice sounded urgent, "_KEIICHI!!"_ She cried his name so loud that anyone standing in the kitchen with them would have heard it despite the fact it came through a telephone.

"Mion!" he exclaimed, swiping the phone out of Ryuu's hands.

"_Kill him…"_ hissed the voice, "_He'll hurt you if she tells him… hurt…"_

Out of the corner of his eye Ryuu caught sight of a butcher knife sitting on the counter. His hands itched to hold it and to run it through Keiichi's heart but Ryuu summoned all of his willpower to keep himself stationary.

"_Keiichi… is that you?"_ Mion sounded scared.

"Mion! What's wrong?"

"_She's going to tell him… she's going to tell him…"_ sung the voice.

"_Keiichi… is Ryuu still in the room?"_

Keiichi glimpsed at his cousin. "Yeah, why?"

"_Make him leave…" _she begged. Keiichi could tell by her quivery voice that she was crying.

"What? Why?"

"_She's talking about you… She's talking about you like she did with your parents before they tried to lock you up…"_

"_Please Keiichi…"_ sobbed the green haired girl, _"Make him leave… please…"_

Keiichi looked uneasy about her request. Did Ryuu do something to hurt Mion? _"He better not have..."_ he thought to himself.

"Ryuu," he said to his cousin, "You can go back to bed if you want."

Ryuu's eyes widened while his pupils shrunk. That's what his parents had said before they tried to give him over to Jack…

"Why?!" Ryuu demanded in a hoarse voice.

"Just go Ryuu… Mion wants to talk to me alone…"

"She can while I'm in the room! I can't hear anything!"

"Just go!!" snapped his cousin angrily.

"_He's talking just like your father…"_ hissed the voice.

The knife was still sitting there, its shining metal blade becoming all the more alluring every second Ryuu remained standing in the room. _"Take it…"_ tempted his mind, "_He's a threat… kill him…"_

"GO!!" roared Keiichi, breaking Ryuu's gaze away from the knife.

Ryuu glowered at his cousin as he stormed back to his room and locked the door behind him.

"_He'll hurt you in your sleep…_" cautioned his mind, _"He'll take the knife and then _he'll_ use it."_

________________________________________________________________________

"He's gone Mion," Keiichi soothed, "Now tell me what's wrong!"

"_Shh!_" she hissed, _"Don't let him hear you!"_

What is with all this fuss over Ryuu and him not hearing them? He had never seen Mion this upset.

"What's the matter?" he repeated, this time in a soft whisper.

"_Ryuu's a killer,"_ she said quickly, "_You need to leave your house Keiichi!"_

"Mion… if this is some game…"

"_I AM NOT PLAYING GAMES!!"_ she sobbed, _"I HEARD OISHI SAY SO!"_

"What? When?"

"Just now… like fifteen minutes ago…" Mion was holding the little blonde doll close to her chest as if it were somehow the only thing keeping Ryuu from killing Keiichi. Mion tried to wipe away the tears from her face but fresh ones took their place. "Please Keiichi… I don't want you to die!"

"_I'm not going to die," _he said in a soothing voice over the phone, _"Oishi has been wrong about stuff before. Your family for example, you were prime suspects for the murders up until last summer."_

"This is different!" she cried, "I know it! Did you listen to the news this morning?"

"_About the asylum where they found everyone dead? Yeah I heard about that."_

"That was Ryuu, Keiichi! He killed everyone in there! I know it!"

"_That's impossible. Over three-hundred people were killed. No one man can do that alone!"_

"But think about it Keiichi!" Mion said, holding the doll closer to her still, "He showed up only a few weeks after that happened without any clothes, money, or anything! He disappeared four years ago without a trace! You have to listen to me Keiichi! Get out of there!"

There was no response from Keiichi's end… just a long, drawn-out beep.

"_We're sorry,_" chimed a woman's voice, "_Your call has been disconnected due to a faulty phone line. We are sorry if this inconveniences you in anyway and hope…"_

Mion cast the phone aside and made for the door with only one goal in mind: get to Keiichi before Ryuu does.

She slid open her door and ran straight into Kasai's hulking figure.

"MOVE!" she screamed.

He didn't look the least bit startled by Mion's sudden appearance.

"Miss Mion I cannot move. Your mother asked me to make sure that nobody got in or out of your room. And I will do just that," he said stubbornly.

"Kasai! Move now!" she pounded her fists futilely against his chest, "Keiichi is in trouble!"

"I'm sorry Mion… I can't let you go."

Mion screamed and pounded Kasai's chest furiously but no matter how hard she tried he showed no sign of wavering. She even tried kneeing him in the groin only to discover he was wearing an athletic cup. "PLEASE!! I NEED TO SEE KEIICIH!"

Kasai grabbed her flailing fists tightly in his large hands. Mion squirmed and tried to free her hands but his grip was too strong. At last Mion no longer felt she could stand, she fell to her knees and passed out on the floor.

______________________________________________________________________________

"Mion?! Mion!?" Keiichi cried when the call was suddenly dropped. He hung up the phone and looked around the dark room. The whole house had lost power…

Heeding Mion's warning, Keiichi grabbed the butcher knife on the counter and stood readily. The wind and rain howled outside causing the house to creek and moan eerily, sending shivers down his spine.

The front door opened.

Keiichi spun around, clutching the knife and pointing it towards the dark silhouette standing in the threshold. Words failed Keiichi as he tried to summon some threat or warn Ryuu of the intruder.

"Why are you holding that knife?" came a familiarly cool and brisk voice.

The knife fell to the floor with a clatter. "Ryuu?"

His cousin emerged from the shadows, soaked from the rain.

"What were you doing out there? How'd you get out?"

"I went to go check the fuse-box, I wanted to try and fix the power. I got out through the window since you were being so touchy about your privacy." Ryuu's face softened with his voice. "So what did she want? Was it something dirty?"

Keiichi smirked, relieved to see he wasn't upset about earlier, "No."

"Just checking." Ryuu's eyes fell upon the knife on the floor and his smile faded. "Keiichi…" he said as he picked up the knife, "You wouldn't try to kill me would you?"

Keiichi was surprised by the question. "Of course not!" he said honestly, "Why would you ask that?"

Ryuu didn't answer; his attention was sold to the knife. "Goodnight," he said distantly as he slowly walked to the guest room, the knife still in hand.

"Huh? Hey, wait a sec Ryuu—"

Before Keiichi could ask what he was doing with the knife Ryuu slammed the door behind him and locked it before laying down in his bed to be tormented by his own thoughts.

______________________________________________________________________________

Ryuu lay awake, staring at his ceiling for hours. The sun's light was just beginning to mingle with the dark of night when the voice echoed once again in the hollow spaces of his mind.

"_You cut the power so she wouldn't tell…" _it said, _"But what happens now? She will be at school and she will tell him them…"_

"Let her," said Ryuu, not sure of who or what he was speaking to.

_"Use the knife… when you see her you have to use it…"_

"No…" said Ryuu, shaking his head.

_"Yes…"_

"No,"

"_Yes…"_

"NO!"

He sat up and shook his head madly as if it would somehow silence the voice. "No! No! No! No!!" he cried defiantly.

"Every time…" he sobbed, "Every time I hear you speak something bad happens! Every time I listen to you somebody dies!! You made me kill my parents!! You did!!"

The voice was silent.

"That wasn't me!" he bellowed, more to himself than to the voice, "That was you! You got me locked up in that hell hole! Not Mion! You killed four-hundred-twenty-six people! Not me! You ripped apart my desk yesterday! Not me!"

_"Mion got you locked up! She told them about you and what you did! And now she will do it again! _KILL_ her!"_

"NO!" sobbed Ryuu, "She was my friend before you told me to hurt her four years ago! She looked out for me and you made me torture her!" Fiery hot tears were streaming down his face as he shook his head in defiance to the voice. His entire life Ryuu had been haunted by this voice in his mind telling him what to do. It was the voice that told him slaughter all of those people the day he left the asylum. It was the voice that told him to kill Masato, his one and only friend during those dark days he spent in his cell. It was the voice that told him to torment Mion four years ago at the cinema. The voice ruined his life… and he had had enough it.

"No more…" he seethed through clenched teeth grabbing the butcher knife he had set on his nightstand, "I'm not listening to you anymore…"

He took the blade of the knife in both hands. "You want me to use this?" he asked the voice with a defiant and insane smile, "You can't tell me what to do!" He snapped the metal blade of the butcher knife in half like it were a twig and let it fall to the floor, laughing hysterically.

It was then Ryuu made his decision. He decided that no matter what happened, no matter what anyone said or did, he would never let any harm come to his friends. Yesterday was one of the greatest days of his life despite the fact he had nearly torn apart his desk. He loved being around people again! Learning again! Working again! It was all better than being locked up in the dark as some kind of science experiment to be poked and prodded until you died! He wanted everyday to be like yesterday… a happy day where he had people around him who cared about him. Those were his friends… and he made a vow that he would never let any harm come to them as long as he lived.

They made him happy… and without them he would be alone again with no one but the daunting voice to keep him company. He wanted to finally be able to relax and grow up to have a normal life with people who loved him…

Jack Lanyon, however, had other plans for him…

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A/N: That was a fun chapter to write and hopefully for you guys it was a fun chapter to read. So yeah… a bit of foreshadowing at the end there, I'll leave it to you guys to guess what it means. Leave a comment and tell me what you thought of this one!


	9. Chapter 8: Passing on the Torch

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Higurashi franchise but good things come to those who wait…**

**______________________________________________________________________________**

Chapter 8: Passing on the Torch

"So he's staying at Shishibone hotel huh?" Oishi asked gruffly through the cigarette clenched in between his teeth.

"Yeah. I followed him home last night. He's in the penthouse," answered Eric.

The two men were standing outside Hinamizawa's only school, discussing the progress they had made so far in the case.

"So why did you drag me out here Oishi?" asked the young man.

"Two reasons," said the aged detective, "One: I need you to observe a student here, Ryuu Maebarra. He's most likely our killer. Two: I need you to keep a watchful eye on Miss Sonozaki Mion. I promised her mother and her grandmother we'd keep her out of harm's way."

"What?" Eric sounded outraged, "I thought I was going to follow Jack!"

"We're trading assignments," informed Oishi, "The best place to observe Ryuu is in school and since no one in this village knows your face then you'd make the perfect undercover agent."

"What does that mean?"

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The familiar chime of Keiichi's alarm clock aroused him as it did every morning. He rolled himself out from his futon, rolling over the bat he had fallen asleep with. Last night was a restless one for Keiichi. He couldn't help but suddenly feel uneasy about sleeping in the same house as Ryuu after hearing Mion's warning last night. She just sounded so urgent on the phone… was she serious?

He tossed the bat away, still half-asleep, and slammed his palm down on the "snooze" button groggily.

_Ding dong!_

Keiichi snorted when he heard the door bell. Who the hell was trying to see him this early? Tired and irritable, Keiichi stood up and stomped down the stairs, glaring at the door through half-lidded eyes.

He opened it. Keiichi would have normally exploded with a flurry of angry comments and threats, furiously demanding the cause for such an early disturbance, but any thought, threat, or insult was stifled immediately as he was knocked to the ground by some unknown force that he soon identified as Mion.

Both of them were on the floor, Mion on top of him with her arms wrapped around his waist and her head on his chest like she was listening for a heart-beat. It took him a minute to realize she had been crying.

"Kei-chan!" she weeped hysterically, her hold on him tightening dangerously.

"Mi…Mion?!" he gasped, unable to breath with his gut being squished like this.

Mion sat up and pulled Keiichi into a tight hug. "_What the f%$#k is wrong with this girl?!"_ he exclaimed mentally.

Her head was resting on his left shoulder, her face buried into his neck as she sobbed. Keiichi's anger and confusion was replaced with worry… and still more confusion. "Mion-chan? What are you doing here?"

"I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling, "I thought I'd never see you again!"

Her back shook with every sob and teary gasp and Keiichi placed a comforting hand on the back of her head, stroking her soft green hair gently. "I told you I wasn't going to die Mion…" he whispered.

"Hey Keiichi… do you have a razo—OH MY SWEET DEAR CHRIST!!" Ryuu dropped the box of cereal he was holding as he stepped into the foyer where Mion and Keiichi were still embracing each other tightly.

But just the way they were sitting… to Ryuu it looked like something else.

"I am so sorry!" he said, covering his eyes and turning around, "I'm leaving! I'm leaving!"

Keiichi blinked and looked down upon himself. He just remembered he hadn't put on any clothes this morning… the only garments on him were his boxer shorts.

"No! Ryuu! It's not like that I swear!" said Keiichi, nearly throwing Mion off him.

"Then where are your clothes Keiichi!? Where did they go?! People don't just hug people bare naked!"

Ryuu was still shielding his eyes while shying away to the kitchen. Keiichi followed him, leaving Mion alone and confused.

She could hear the two cousins from behind the door.

"No Keiichi don't touch me with those filthy hands! God knows where they've been!"

"Just listen a second okay! We were just hugging! A friendly hug between friends!"

"Again I ask you… where the hell are your clothes?!"

"I just woke up."

"So you answered the door naked?"

"I have boxers on!" protested Keiichi.

Ryuu stormed out of the kitchen, still shielding his eyes from his cousin's indecency. "Well that doesn't count—" he trailed off when he saw the green haired girl sitting in the foyer. She scooted back a few feet, giving him a loathing look.

_"So she really does remember…"_ he thought sadly, "_What do I do?!"_

Ryuu's hands twitched as his eyes fell upon her neck. He could see her jugular vein from here… the blood rushing through it… he couldn't help but think about how easy it would be to kill her right now and to stop her from telling Keiichi about him…

"_NO! I won't give in… I promised… I promised…."_ Ryuu tore his eyes from her; instead he gave his attention to his feet as if they had become the most interesting thing in the world.

"Mion…" Keiichi said from behind him, his voice was soft and comforting even for him. He walked past Ryuu and crouched by the girl who still refused to tear her gaze from the pale boy in front of her until Keiichi placed a soft hand on her cheek and guided her gaze towards him. "I'm still here… if Ryuu was really a killer then do you think I would have lived through the night?"

Mion's turquoise eyes met with Keiichi's caring purple ones. She soon got lost in his compassionate gaze, her worries melting around her until she felt nothing but Keiichi next to her.

Ryuu suddenly felt warmth rush over him. Keiichi… was sticking up for him… someone actually cared for him after all he had done. Even though Ryuu knew his cousin had no idea of the horrors he had committed it still filled him with joy to know someone was looking out for him again.

But that didn't stop him from tormenting his cousin. "Put on some clothes dude."

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The weather was much nicer today. The rainy day yesterday had brought a nice, warm, sunny, and just all around beautiful day. The three of them ventured off into this gorgeous weather after Keiichi changed and had breakfast with his cousin. Mion had already eaten so she just waited in the kitchen, constantly glancing in Ryuu's direction like she was worried he would explode any minute.

On the way to school Keiichi nudged his cousin in the ribs. "So… are you gonna ask Rena today?"

Ryuu blushed and readjusted his school bag. "About what?" he asked, knowing perfectly well what Keiichi was talking about.

"Are you gonna ask her to the _Kakou-Saishi?"_

Ryuu's face began heating up with embarrassment and fury. He said nothing.

"Well you better hurry…" said Keiichi smugly, "Rena's pretty cute and all. The whole class will be climbing over each other to get to her."

"What?! Me and you are the only ones her age!"

Keiichi grimaced, "Rena likes all things cute. _All_ things."

"You don't think…" Ryuu trailed off as he imagined Rena accepting an invitation from a particularly adorable looking eight year old boy. _"Hauu~ I'm going to take you home after the festival!_"

Ryuu gave his cousin a distressed look. "What do I do?!" he pleaded, grabbing a fistful of Keiichi's shirt and shaking him madly, "What do I do!?"

"I shan't tell you," said Keiichi with a confident grin, "A man must undertake some quests alone."

Ryuu was about to throat punch his cousin in aggravation when Rena came into view. Ryuu quickly released him and quickly tried to collect himself, slicking down his hair and straightening his shirt.

"Hey guys!" she waved at them fondly, "You're pretty early today Keiich-kun. Huh? Why is Mii-chan with you guys?" She gave Mion a sideways stare, "Doesn't Mii-chan usually come that way? Did you sleep with Keiich-kun last night Mii-chan? Did you?"

Keiichi and Mion both erupted with protests and objections, shaking their red faces.

"Oh yeah," said Ryuu with an evil grin, "I couldn't get any sleep with these two upstairs. Mion's shouting kept me up all night. Heh heh heh."

"Shut the hell up!" spat Keiichi and Mion simultaneously.

______________________________________________________________________________

Eric was sitting in the principal's office with Oishi sitting next to him.

"Undercover eh?" said the burly man thoughtfully as he reclined in his chair, "What for? Has one of my students broken the law?"

"I'm sorry sir but I'm not allowed to share that with you at this time," Oishi stated mechanically, sounding very bored, "I hope you understand."

The principal sighed heavily and rubbed his temples, attempting to banish the head ache that had shown up along with these two men. "I don't suppose I have a choice?" he asked with a small grimace.

"No sir. I'm sorry but this is being handled as a matter of national security," Eric answered, "I just need to work here as a student-teacher for a month or two. I won't get in the way with Miss Chie's classes I promise you."

"That's not what concerns me…" he said, "I just want to know if my students will be safe. From you and from whatever threat we may be facing."

"I'm here for two reasons sir," said Eric, "To do some undercover work and to protect your students from harm. I promise you that I will do all in my power and more to protect the students and the staff."

"Mr. Stride, don't go making promises you can't keep," cautioned the principal, "I'm holding you to your word."

"You can count on me," Eric assured.

The large grandfather clock in the corner of the room began chiming, signaling the start of the day. "Classes will begin shortly," the principal said, "I trust you can navigate yourself around these halls?"

"He'll manage," said Oishi, "Come on."

The two detectives left the dimly lit office and stepped into the hallways of the school.

Oishi turned to his friend and placed an old hand on his shoulder. "Eric. Before you go out there I want to tell you something…"

Eric looked to his mentor attentively. "Relax Oishi," he chuckled, "They're just kids. I'll be fine."

Oishi cracked a smile. "I know you will," he acknowledged, "I just wanted to tell you that… I'm real proud of you Eric."

Eric looked into the old man's tired looking eyes, suddenly feeling concerned. "Sir?"

"When Daichi… when Jack shot my son… I-I wanted to kill him. I almost did too," Oishi suddenly tore his gaze away from his partner, removing his hand and turning his back to him.

"What is this about Kuraudo?" Eric asked fearfully. As a detective and a former soldier he had heard people talk like this before… he usually never saw them again.

Oishi's jaw tightened and he balled his fists. "I had a gun to his head and I nearly killed that bastard for what he did to my family… but… I didn't… I refused to sink to his level even after he shot my son in cold blood!" He was shouting now and for the first time in Eric's life he heard fear in the old man's voice. For some reason he always found Oishi to be invincible, someone he would always be safe around like the way a child feels around their parents. To see the old man this afraid terrified Eric.

"What I'm trying to say is…" he turned and faced his partner, "Ever since Daiichi died and Ayano killed herself I never imagined I'd have another son. I know it had to be hard for you to see your best friend killed in front of you too. You were strong for my daughter-in-law and for me; you kept us sane amidst all that madness."

"Oishi…"

"You became like a son to me Eric. And I need you to promise me something…"

Eric didn't know what to say. Oishi wasn't one to get all emotional like this… it was so out of his character. "Anything," he said.

Oishi took Eric's hand and placed something in it. It looked like a miniature T.V screen. "What's this?" he asked.

"It's PDTM, stands for Pixel Data Transfer Module. It can take pictures and transfer the data to its twin, which I have in my pocket. You need to keep that with you at all costs and don't let anybody see it. Also today in class do not announce yourself as Eric Stride, as of today Eric Stride died in a car crash. You are now Akira Oishi, my adopted son. Do you understand?"

Eric nodded, trying to soak all of this in without forgetting any of it.

"And…" Oishi bit his lower lip and gulped. He looked so old and tired now… like his inner self was now truly reflecting his outward appearance, "Just promise me one thing Eric… If something were to happen to me I need you to be strong okay. Don't do anything stupid or get yourself killed. Promise me."

Eric's heart stopped momentarily as he realized what Oishi was trying to tell him. Daiichi made him take this same promise only an hour before Jack shot him.

"What are you talking about?" Eric asked in an urgent whisper, "What are you going to do? Is someone trying to kill you?"

"Just promise!" barked Oishi suddenly, "Tell me you won't do anything stupid if I die! Promise me!" His fist was wrapped around Eric's collar and his eyes shimmered behind a liquid veil of tears. Eric shook his head. Oishi had become a father to him… it was hard enough to resist the urge to kill Jack after he shot his best friend but how could he do the same if Oishi was murdered!? He couldn't… he wouldn't…

"Eric!"

"I promise!" he said.

The two friends stared at each other for a long time, mutual worry evident in their eyes.

"Keep that camera with you…" was the last thing he said before giving Eric one final handshake and walking slowly down the hall. As he walked his eyes lingered upon the walls he passed and the little pictures held into the wall with thumb-tacks. He stepped through the doors and gave the school one final goodbye.

**(A/N: Regarding Eric's alias, I'll be referring to him as both Eric and Akira now so try not to get confused)**

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"This… isn't… funny…" seethed Keiichi from behind one of the classroom lockers, "I… can't… breath… Satoko…"

"Meh. Excuses, excuses," she said with a shrug, "Man up Keiichi."

"The biological need for air doesn't make me any less of a man you brat!" he retorted, rattling furiously from inside the small confines of the locker, "Open the door!"

"Don't you think she's going a bit too far?" whispered Ryuu to Rena from his desk, "That really could be dangerous."

"Keiich-kun will be fine," she assured with a cute smile, "She'll let him out before Chie-sensei gets here."

And so she did. The very second the blue haired teacher stepped into the room Satoko frowned and opened the locker door, sending Keiichi spilling onto the floor.

"You… brat…" he gasped, "I could've died!"

"Maebarra-kun! Stop fooling around!" snapped Miss Chie, "Everyone, stand!"

There was a loud shuffling of feet and scraping of chairs as the class stood to attention.

"Bow," she ordered impatiently, sounding very put off this morning.

The class followed her orders before sitting down and quietly waiting for class to begin.

"Class, we have a guest today," she said, her irritation becoming all the more evident, "Please welcome Mr. Oishi."

The class exploded with chatter when they heard mention of the old detective. Some looked fearful, afraid Oishi had come to do some drug test or arrest someone. The minority who knew the old man well grinned at one another with excitement. But no one expected this young, handsome man to step into the room. This man didn't even look Japanese which immediately ruled out the possibility of him being his son. He had brown hair that was combed back except for a single strand of hair that hung stubbornly down on his brow. He was wearing a black vest and a white button up undershirt, making him look even more foreign. On his head he wore a pair of round glasses over his blue eyes.

"Hello class!" he said cheerfully, "My name is-"

Miss Chie coughed loudly, cutting off this young man. He faced her and shrunk back when he saw her fierce looking face.

"Hello _class?_ They're still _my_ class bub," she said menacingly.

"O-okay…" he stammered, trying to regain his composure, "I'm sorry?"

"Better be…" she snarled.

The stranger wasn't the only one who looked lost. Miss Chie wasn't usually this murderous looking.

"She's probably afraid of competition," Shion whispered to Keiichi.

"Competition?" he inquired.

"My name is Mr. Akira Oishi," he greeted with a bow, "Some of you probably know my foster father Detective Oishi. I'll be here as a student-teacher for the next few months and I'll be teaching English and World History. Other than that your Chie-sensei will teach you as she normally would."

The smaller kids in the front of the class opened their mouths to greet Akira in chorus but Miss Chie shot them a cold and silencing look.

"And since English is first today I'll be starting the class-"

Miss Chie stood up and stomped out of the room, mumbling treacherously under her breath.

"Anyway… I'll be starting class today. But before we get begin I'd like to get to know all of you a bit, your names anyway. We'll start with you – yes you – over there in the corner."

He was pointing to Ryuu. "Uh… well…"

"Could you stand up please?" he asked pleasantly.

Ryuu stood up, feeling nervous with all these eyes staring at him. "I'm Ryuu Maebarra…" he trailed off, trying to think of what else there was to say about him, "and I'm a-"

"Could you hold on a second?" Akira said while opening his bag and taking out a large notebook, flipping open to the first clean page he could find and scribbling something down.

"What's that?" asked Ryuu, "Are you writing my name down?"

"Just making a seating chart so I know where everyone is…" he answered. However the amount of time he spent writing would suggest otherwise.

"Please go on…" he said, not taking his eyes from the paper.

"Uhh… I'm sixteen," he concluded.

"What year are you?" asked Akira, adjusting his glasses with his free hand.

"I'm sorry?"

"Year. How many years have you been in school?"

Ryuu had to think about that. He really didn't know. The four years he lost at that God-forsaken asylum robbed him of any education. Technically he was a sixth grader but he couldn't say that.

"Interesting…" mumbled Akira, jotting down more notes.

"What is?"

"That you can't remember what year you are. Are you new here?" he asked.

"He's my cousin," answered Keiichi, "He used to live here four years ago and he just came back two days ago."

Akira seemed very pleased by this bit of information as he continued to scribble his pen furiously on the notebook. "Good," he said happily as he deposited the notebook back in the bag, "Alright let's begin."

Everyone exchanged confused glances.

"What about everyone else?" inquired Rika.

"What?" Akira asked obliviously.

"You don't know our names yet, you only got Ryuu's," chimed Hanyuu, "That's not very nice."

Akira looked frustrated and stammered a few times before speaking. "Make it quick, Ryuu-kun took up so much of our time with his stammering so we'll have to zip through this."

Everyone got a turn to introduce themselves to this new student-teacher. But Akira didn't write a single one of their names down as he did for Ryuu.

______________________________________________________________________________

"Lunch time!" chimed Miss Chie after she had finished teaching her mathematics lesson.

Everyone grabbed their lunches and located their friends. The club met as they usually did but this time with Ryuu.

Mion had been oddly quiet today and it remained that way all through lunch. Shion was glancing anxiously at her sister.

"You haven't eaten anything Onee-chan," she pointed out, snatching up a wad of steamed rice with her chopsticks, "Say 'ahhhh'!"

Mion however did not say "ahhh" she just continued watching Ryuu intently who was doing his best to ignore her cold glares.

Satoko followed Mion's gaze and connected it with Ryuu.

"Did Ryuu do something bad?" Satoko whispered to Rika who was also having a hard time eating.

"No, no, no," answered Ryuu quickly, "Mion's just pissed off about a little joke I made this morning. Poor Mii-san is so sensitive."

Ryuu was surprised when she made no objection.

Suddenly a small, sweet looking boy appeared by Ryuu and poked him on the shoulder.

"Hey," he said shyly, "Are you Rena's friend?"

Ryuu looked to Rena sitting on the far end of the table intently debating the cuteness of coffee-makers with Shion and he smiled proudly. "Yes… yes I am," he said happily.

"Could you ask her something for me?" he asked sweetly, his hands behind his back as he twisted his waist side to side bashfully.

"Sure thing kid."

"Could you ask her if she'll go to the festival with me?"

Ryuu's pleasant and friendly composure shattered, leaving a devastatingly murderous look in its place.

He remembered Keiichi's words: "_Rena likes all things cute. _All_ things."_ This boy could most definitely be filed under the category of "cute". He was an obstacle on the road to Rena's heart… he must be eliminated.

"Say it again…" he requested.

"Could you ask Rena-chan if she'll go to the festival with-"

Ryuu stood up and glowered down at the kid. "That is disgusting…" he said, shaking his head at the boy, "I don't know how you sleep at night."

"What?" the kid squeaked.

"That is… phew… that is just atrocious. You… your type sicken me…"

"What did I do?"

"You know very well what you did!" he sputtered, "You basically just confessed it to me…"

Ryuu had the attention of the entire class now; even Mion had stopped glowering at him long enough to watch the spectacle.

"But I don't!" he whimpered, "I don't know!"

"Oh ho ho! Don't play dumb with me! I don't know who you think you are but I know who I am! I know who I am! And I also know who I'm not and I am not the kind of guy who sells drugs to eight year olds so don't go asking me for any."

"WHAT!?" the boy cried, "I didn't ask you for drugs! Drugs are bad!"

"Don't you give me that load of crap mister!" he snapped, "Not only are you a drugee but you're also a liar! A LIAR!"

"But I'm not lying!" sobbed the boy.

No one knew who to believe.

"You lied again. You're going to hell in a hand basket," Ryuu said with a grimace, "Run straight into Satan's waiting arms."

"What?"

Miss Chie barged into the classroom looking perplexed, "What is going on here?"

Ryuu and the boy pointed accusing fingers at one another instantly. Whatever the boy tried to say Ryuu drowned out, "He asked me for drugs Chie-sensei!"

Miss Chie gave the boy an astonished look, "Is this true?"

The boy tried to speak but Ryuu stomped on his toe in a way no one would see it. "Oh please do not ask the boy to speak Chie-sensei," he crouched down so he was at level with the boy and put his arm around him, "You see, not only is he a drug addict but he is a liar as well. He will not speak the truth."

"He's the liar," accused the boy.

"No do not listen to him!" cautioned Ryuu melodramatically, "He tells nothing but lies. Get him out of here before he contaminates the pure minds of the other children with his filthy habits. Take him away!" He held the child out for Miss Chie to take. The boy wasn't crying anymore, he just looked completely and entirely lost.

"All right you're coming with me young man, wait until your parents hear about this!" said Miss Chie as she led him out of the room.

The boy left, looking totally confused and leaving Ryuu as the victor, allowing him to fight another day for Rena's heart.

He didn't know if what Keiichi said about Rena accepting invitations from anyone even remotely cute was true… but he wasn't taking any chances.

______________________________________________________________________________

It was now the last class of the day and it was Akira's turn to teach World History. And to start off his first class he decided to give them all a pop quiz containing some of the hardest questions Keiichi had ever seen.

_1: In Ancient Rome, what color was the stripe running down a senator's toga?_

_2: What was the name of the Pope who launched the crusades?_

_3. Which U.S President was in power during WWII?_

_4. What is the difference between a Prime Minister and a President?_

_5. Who wrote _The Odyssey_?_

_6. Who killed Julius Caesar? _

_7. Who was Tiberius Gracchi? What were his beliefs? How did he die?_

It just went on and on to a grand total of one-hundred questions just like this. This would take them the entire class! How did he expect the little kids to answer these questions?

"Don't worry it's not for a grade," assured Akira as he went down the aisle of desks while handing tests to each student, "I don't expect anyone to get an A, I just want to see what you guys know and where I should begin."

Keiichi racked his brain and tried to remember previous World History lessons. They had only covered 1/10th of this stuff. He looked to his friends and saw they were all having an equally difficult time. Mion looked the most distraught; Keiichi actually thought she was going to have a breakdown in the middle of the test. Shion wasn't even trying and Rena was doodling something on her paper. And Ryuu… Ryuu was actually writing down answers.

"Done," he chimed, leaning back in his chair victoriously.

There was the hollow clatter of pencils falling to the floor all across the rooms as his classmates turned to him in shock with loose jaws. Akira however didn't look impressed at all.

"Did you try?" he asked as he moved to pick up the paper.

"I don't try Oishi-sensei, I just do," he responded proudly.

Akira rolled his eyes and snatched up the paper, his eyes running through the answers and getting wider with each scan.

"These are all right…" he said, sounding flabbergasted.

_"It hasn't even been twenty minutes!" _Keiichi thought to himself.

"Oh good," sighed Ryuu, "I was a bit worried on the one about Genghis Khan, that was a tricky question."

Akira quickly snatched his bag and removed his notebook for the second time today, scribbling down another note.

______________________________________________________________________________

_Ding… ding… ding, _went the elevator every time Oishi passed a floor. He was currently in the Shishibone hotel, another establishment owned by the Sonozaki family. "At this rate they'll own the whole damn city," Oishi chuckled gruffly. Finally, the elevator reached its destination: the penthouse.

The elevator made one final _ding_ as the doors slid open, revealing the glamorous penthouse Jack had made his lair in. It looked very western which was odd indeed for a place owned by the Sonozaki family; one of the most stubborn old-fashioned families Oishi had ever had the pleasure of meeting.

According to Eric, Jack was currently at a very important business meeting with some Russian guy so he shouldn't have to worry about him. He still did a quick sweep of the penthouse, looking for any kind of security system or security guard. Luckily, he found no one.

He stared out the enormous glass window that stretched from the ceiling and right down to the floor. Night had fallen and Shishibone was bustling with the night life. He could hear cars zoom down sixteen floors below him from the top of the hotel. He towered over everything here… _"Figures, Jack always has to have dominance doesn't he?"_

He tore himself away from the window and located the little brown briefcase Oishi had come here to find. It was the same one Jack had brought to their meeting yesterday. He slammed it down on the desk that sat just in front of the window and broke the lock by smashing it with his pistol. It flung open instantly, revealing its contents.

"Let's see what we got here," he said as he began flipping through the files and sheets of paper. Finally his eyes fell upon something of interest. It was a transaction form, one that was written in Russian.

Oishi didn't understand a word of it; the odd foreign characters were a complete mystery to him. But he still found it odd Jack would be carrying around something like this. He removed his PDTM and snapped a few photos of the form before sliding it back in and continued to rummage for more interesting articles and documents. "Hmm… what's this?" He pulled out a thick sketchbook, one Oishi often saw Jack carrying back when Daiichi was working for him… when he was still alive.

He had always been curious about what Jack was doodling in here. He flipped the book open and flicked through the pages. These sketches certainly were… interesting.

The drawings looked like monsters. Demonic looking horned monsters with sharp teeth and pointed fingers. The earlier sketches made the monsters look like some creature you'd see in some fantasy, medieval movie with dragons and wizards. But as he continued to flick through the pages they became somehow more believable and familiar. Like Oishi had seen these things before…

Their pointed fingers grew longer with the later sketches until they almost touched the ground. For every two pages there was a sketch of a male creature and a female one. The horns on the male were more upright and curvy while the female's pointed downward and were nearly straight. The monsters had sharp teeth and skinny arms and legs however, none of the later sketches showed these beasts with feet. Their legs started to remind Oishi of an overgrown spider; they were very long, skinny, and sharp at the end. Little side notes were scribbled on the columns of the pages sloppily, making them barely legible. Oishi closed the sketch book once more and on the cover he read the words: "Primoris Humanus."

The sketchbook was very well organized and professional; Oishi began wondering if Jack had actually believed in these things.

He took pictures of every page with his PDTM, taking two snapshots of each page to ensure Eric would be able to read them perfectly.

He was just about to press his thumb against the "send all data" button when he heard the cock of shotgun behind him.

"Did you actually think I'd go anywhere without that briefcase?" chuckled Jack sinisterly, "I was in the bathroom when you stepped in and when I saw you sitting at my desk I thought I'd sit back and see what you'd do."

Oishi quickly hid the PDTM before pulling out his own pistol and pointing it at Jack. There was a gunshot and the pistol flew out of his hands with a bullet hole through it. Behind Jack stood two men, both of them had long, sleek black hair and bushy beards. Their eyebrows were thick and their brows were heavy. It was very clear that these men were not Japanese.

Jack pointed his pistol at Oishi with his one remaining hand while the other two pumped their shotguns and aimed.

"Должны мы убить его?" asked one of the foreign men.

"Почему я хотел бы вас 2 иметь всю потеху?" Jack said with a sneer, causing the foreigners to chuckle ominously.

"Ahhh…" Oishi said with a smirk, "so these are your Russian friends I've been hearing so much about. I wonder what you could be up to Jack old boy…"

Oishi slid his hand into his pocket and clicked the record button on his PDTM. The man on Jack's left saw this motion and quickly aimed his gun for Oishi's chest. "Hand of pocket!" he said in broken Japanese.

"Relax, relax…" soothed Jack, "Я имею ситуацию под управлением." The man lowered his gun slowly while Jack raised his at Oishi's head. "Hands in the air," he ordered, cocking his pistol, "Or I'll shoot them off."

Oishi did as he was told, glaring at Jack with the utmost loathing.

"Empty your pockets…" he instructed.

Oishi did, emptying his left pocket first. He pulled out his precious cigarettes, followed by some chewing tobacco, a wad of gum, a couple hundred yen… a switch blade.

No one saw the blade before it was too late. He flicked it open and maneuvered himself behind one of the Russians with amazing speed, pressing the cold steel of the blade to his throat. "Drop your weapons!" bellowed Oishi, "Or he dies."

The other foreigner quickly cast his shotgun aside and looked at Oishi with a pleading look. Jack however simply stood there smirking as he raised his gun at Oishi and his terrified hostage. "If you think I'm above ripping through him to kill you then you have another thing coming old man," he said sinisterly. The Russian who wasn't being held captive by Oishi looked at Jack and his gun. "Please do not!" he begged in poor Japanese, "He is my best friend!"

A few seconds ago, Oishi thought Jack could sink no lower… he was wrong. He turned to the terrified foreigners and sneered. "Tough," was all he said.

He shot the foreigner Oishi was holding captive right in the chest, giving Oishi enough time to leap out of the way before the bullet tore through his own heart as well. The only remaining Russian screamed in terror as he watched his friend fall to the floor. He moved to pick up his gun again, this time aiming for Jack, but Jack didn't hesitate to blow off his head with a smile and then turn on Oishi.

He sent a bullet right through Oishi's leg, crippling him severely. He shouted in pain as he felt his bone crack and blood gush from his wound.

"Now empty the other pocket," he instructed with his finger still on the trigger.

"You heartless little shit!" spat Oishi in fury, "You kill two of your men and all you can think about is what I have in my pocket?!"

"You're hardly in a position to be lecturing me on how I do business Oishi. Now empty your other pocket before I do it for you."

Oishi reluctantly removed the PDTM from his pocket and he held it so Jack could see it. "Happy now? It's just a camera!"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?!" Jack roared, "I know what that is! It's that little photo transfer module thing that sends pictures to other people. Who the hell were you planning on sending those photos to?!"

"Go to hell!" spat Oishi defiantly, slowly rising from crippled position and stumbling over to the desk with his wounded leg.

"Do you think I won't shoot you just because you're an old man? I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty you old piece of shit! Give it to me now!"

Oishi had his thumb poised over the "send all data" button. He was on the verge of collapsing… he was losing so much blood… but he couldn't die yet… not yet.

"I see…" Jack said as Oishi struggled to stay standing, "Now I know where your son got it."

Oishi's head snapped up and his eyes bore furiously into Jack's.

"He was defiant until the end too… stupid son of a bitch. Speaking of stupid bitches though," Jack's evil little smile grew, "I think that before I kill you there's something you should know about that wife of yours."

If it weren't for his leg Jack would have been beaten into a pool of blood by now.

"Ayano right? You found her hanging in your bedroom? Just like I left her…"

Oishi clenched his fists as his leg twitched violently in frustration. He would sell his soul right now to get his legs moving again just so he could have the satisfaction of ripping Jack apart with his own hands.

"Y-you killed my wife?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"I strangled the bitch with my own hands," he answered proudly.

Oishi felt pure hatred well up inside him, a fiery burning feeling that was eating at his insides, making him suffer for every second Jack was still breathing. He wanted more than anything to see that son of a bitch dead… and he was willing to do anything to bring that about.

"But Oishi my old friend, I'm feeling unusually generous today," scorned Jack, "You don't have to suffer the same fate as your withered excuse for a son and your whore of a wife. Just put down that little gadget of yours and I'll let you go. I'll even call a paramedic for that leg of yours."

Oishi glared at Jack with his ancient and intense eyes. He summoned the last bit of strength in him and stood up; cringing as he felt his broken bones grind together under his weight.

"Jack…" he wheezed, "I've known you for fourteen years and for fourteen years I stood by and watched you tear apart countless lives and manipulate even more with your threats and your god damn bodyguards. The only reason those people ever listened to you was because you were threatening to take something away from them. But me… you've already taken everything. My son… my wife… those were the only things that mattered. So are you going to kill me? If you do that means I've won Jack! That means I've won and I'll be able to die knowing that! You have nothing else to use against me this time!

"I have a gun to your head. Is that not enough to convince you?" Jack asked incredulously.

"There are worse fates than death…"

_Click_.

Oishi's thumb finally pressed down on the "send all data" button, and the screen lit up with the words "now sending" in big letters. Jack's arrogant face faded and was replaced with confusion and rage. He simply couldn't comprehend why Oishi would choose life over death.

Oishi's mouth curved into a triumphant smile as he straightened his back, the PDTM still held tightly in his grasp.

He heard the gun fire and felt the bullets tear through his flesh and shatter his bones painfully, sending his blood splattering across the window behind him. The force of the bullets sent him stumbling backwards, finally crashing against the window and shattering the glass. The wind howled as he stumbled backward, casting him down to the pavement below with the PDTM still in his hands. Jack jumped over the desk and made one final grab for the PDTM before it could finish the data transfer. But he was too late; Oishi was already plummeting to his death.

Oishi held the small gadget close to him, determined even now to ensure Eric would be able to see those photos._"Eric… my son… you were all I had left… the village is yours to protect now."_ The last thing he heard was a small chime from the PDTM, indicating a successful data transfer. His job was finished… now he would finally retire.

_Splat!_

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A/N: Aww… sad chapter. Oishi was one of my favorite characters too… I found this chapter to be so sad that I was forced to add in that little scene with Ryuu and the little boy to try and lighten the mood. Wow this was a long chapter but a fun one. I'm sorry that I killed off Oishi guys. I don't hate him or anything he's actually my favorite character. I just really wanted to vilify Jack more… I hope it worked. Leave a comment on what you thought about this one!


	10. Chapter 9: Leave a Message

**Disclaimer: I do not own Higurashi the anime, the manga, or the merchandize… do I even have to say that anymore?**

**______________________________________________________________________________**

Chapter 9: Leave a Message...

**Hinamizawa School; 6 Hours Before Oishi's Murder**

The school day had just ended for the students attending Hinamizawa's one and only school and the room had emptied itself of all students except for that one group of kids that always hung around as the other children darted home eagerly.

Keiichi decided that today they would let Ryuu join the club however not everyone was seeing eye to eye with him on this matter. Mion, Rika, and Hanyuu were strongly against the idea. The very second Keiichi had suggested it Mion shot it down with Rika and Hanyuu backing her up while the rest of the club had sided with Keiichi and Ryuu. So he had decided to give Mion and the other two girls some space and had Satoko fill his cousin in on the finer points of club activities.

"…and the winner can make the loser do anything they want," concluded Satoko.

Ryuu looked absolutely delighted by this rule which he demonstrated with a wide smile reaching from cheek to cheek. "Quick question. Do my demands have to be legal?" he asked impishly.

"Uh oh… Ru-kun is having dirty thoughts," teased Rena.

"I am not!" he protested with a flaming blush, "I just wanted to clear that up in case one of _you_ asks me to do something against the law."

Rena gave him an adorable smile and took a seat on one of the desks.

"So what kind of stuff do you guys normally do?" he inquired further, trying to regain his composure.

Shion shrugged. "Just stuff," she said plainly, "On days like today we usually do some outdoorsy things like hide-and-seek, zombie tag, tag, races, water gun fights, the works."

"Sounds like fun," said Ryuu with an intrigued grin, "So am I in?"

"We have to vote on it," answered Satoko, "I think your chances are pretty good though." Mion thought otherwise.

"Hey!" she snapped, "I'm club leader! I decide if he's in or not!"

"Since when did this become a dictatorship?" sneered Keiichi.

"I don't know. When did it become a democracy?" she replied crossly.

"Awwww… why won't you let Ru-kun join Mii-chan? Why?" Rena asked with a sideways stare.

She was going to answer when Keiichi shot her a silencing glance which she obeyed reluctantly. "B-because the club is too big as it is! It was risky enough letting Kei-chan in but another member is completely out of the question!"

Ryuu looked hurt and frustrated with himself, trying his best to keep his angry eyes focused on something other than Mion.

The next thing Mion knew Keiichi was leading her out into the hall by her arm. "Hey! Keiichi! Let me go!" she demanded, trying to wriggle her arm loose.

"We need to talk," he answered severely, "In the hall."

The remaining club members followed the two of them with their perplexed eyes until the classroom door shut and all they could hear was Mion's protests and Keiichi's silencing remarks. He led her down the hall, despite her struggling, to the entrance where they would be out of ear shot from the others.

"Mion, I've already told you it would be very unlikely for me to be talking to you right now if Ryuu was a murderer," he scolded with his brow furrowed.

"Keiichi, I heard it from Oishi himself! He said Ryuu was the prime suspect and that he killed all those people in the asylum! Why won't you believe me?"

"Because it doesn't make any sense!" he retorted, "I let him in my house before anyone knew he was here. He could've killed me and just skipped right out the door without anyone every knowing he did it. Last night he was more afraid of me than I was of him. After what you said on the phone I grabbed the kitchen knife just as he walked into the room and he asked me if I would ever try to kill him! Does that sound like a killer to you?"

"I don't know!" she answered, stomping her foot angrily, "Keiichi, I'm just worried about you. He sleeps in your house… I just don't want to see you get killed." The flame of her anger was doused a little bit as her shoulders dropped and she hugged herself with her head hanging down sadly.

"Mion… trust me, I'm fine and I'm going to be fine. I'll come to school tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, and so on and so forth. No one is trying to kill me and no one is trying to kill you and if they are I'll snap their necks before they have time to breath. I won't let anyone hurt our mighty club leader! Without you what would we do after school?"

Mion smiled lightly when she saw Keiichi's eyes overflow with confidence and suddenly her tom-boy side showed itself once more. "Hah! You'd probably end up spending your evenings helping Rena dig out some cute trash at the dump or helping Shion pick out clothes or something girly like that!" she laughed heartily.

"Which is exactly why I need you," Keiichi snickered, "Life would get too boring if you weren't here."

Mion's boyish front faltered for a moment as a soft smile replaced her sharp playful one but she quickly collected herself. "That's what I'm here for," she laughed.

"So you'll let Ryuu into the group then?" he asked expectantly.

Mion's smile turned upside down. _"Back to that again huh?"_

Mion sighed in defeat, knowing this was a battle she could not win. Besides, Keiichi might be right, maybe Oishi really was wrong about Ryuu. "Fine, fine…" she said, "I'll let you guys vote for him."

"Good," said Keiichi happily, "That'll make Ryuu's day."

"I don't know," she shrugged as they began moving back to the classroom together, "I think him acing that pop quiz today might tower over this."

"Don't be stupid," laughed Keiichi, "There is no higher honor than to become a member of the Hinamizawa brigade!"

"We're not a brigade."

"But that has a nice ring to it," offered Keiichi.

"True, true. But I can't help but feel that's not very original."

_____________________________________________________________________________

"All in favor of inducting Ryuu Maebarra into our proud ranks say 'aye'!" announced Mion briskly, back to her old, loud self again.

"Aye!"

"Aye!"

"Aye!"

"Aye!"

"Aye!"

There were only two girls that remained silent in the far end of the club's meeting table. Those two girls were Rika and Hanyuu, still sitting silently in their chairs and looking very cross.

"Guys?" said Mion slowly.

"No," they stated at once.

Everyone looked taken aback by their response. Usually those two were so happy and kind to everyone. At least Mion had a good reason for trying to keep Ryuu out of the group; she could not understand why these two were determined to ostracize him.

Keiichi looked at Mion with a raised eyebrow.

"I didn't tell them anything I swear!" she insisted.

Keiichi didn't look convinced but he didn't want everyone asking questions so he just dropped it.

"Rika, what's wrong with you two?" Satoko asked.

Ryuu was wondering the same thing ever since he met those two his first day here. Rika was especially interesting to him. He could see behind the innocent front she put up when around her friends. He hadn't even spent two class days with her and he could already tell there was something dark and sinister about her. He was still deciding whether or not it was something he should be worrying about.

Suddenly Ryuu noticed Rika's eyes locked with his and he shrunk back slightly under her surprisingly fierce gaze. All eyes had followed Rika's line of sight straight to Ryuu and they all were wondering what he could have possibly done to upset her this much.

"Well you're overruled anyway guys," Mion informed, "Sorry."

"Since when was this a democracy Mion?" contradicted Rika darkly.

Everyone exchanged worried looks, especially Ryuu who was new to Rika's odd mood swings. But they all silently agreed that this was abnormally strange behavior even for her.

"You're right Rika," Keiichi chortled, "This isn't a democracy. I think that the final decision should lie with Mii-chan!"

Rika finally tore her eyes from Ryuu and turned to her club leader, her grim and stern face instructing her to deny Ryuu entrance into their club. Mion had already agreed to let him in but under all this pressure she didn't feel so sure any more… At least with everyone else voting if Ryuu did turn out to be a serial killer she wouldn't be the only one to blame for letting him in. Keiichi was smiling at her keenly along with most of the group excluding the two girls at the end of the table who still wore their concentrated and solemn frowns.

Ryuu saw her hesitation and felt as though he had already lost the vote as he hung his head glumly, apprehensively awaiting her verdict.

Mion looked at all her friends helplessly, not knowing the right course of action. If Ryuu really wasn't a murderer it would destroy him if he was shunned from the group for some unknown reason. But she still felt uneasy about allowing him to be so close to her… after all she was supposed to be the one he was trying to kill.

_"Damnit Keiichi! Why did you have to put me on the spotlight like this?!_"

Ryuu already knew he wasn't going to be allowed to join. He couldn't blame Mion though after what he did to her, he would probably do the same if he was in her shoes.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, a tiny hint of hesitance still in her voice, "Ryuu Maebarra is now an official member the club!"

The girls that had sided with Ryuu exploded with cheers instantly while Rika cast both Mion and Keiichi disappointed looks.

Ryuu could hardly believe it! Did Mion actually remember what he did to her all those years ago? Was she really that forgiving? Butterflies fluttered inside Ryuu's stomach as a happy smile appeared on his face. _"Whatever god is out there watching over me… thank you so much for this second chance._" Ryuu could imagine that to most people being accepted into some afterschool club like this wouldn't be a very big deal. But to Ryuu it felt like Mion and all the people he had hurt had finally forgiven him for all his crimes even though deep down he knew most of them never would have that chance.

He looked up at Mion who was standing on her chair, overlooking her merry club members with a pleased smile, and he caught her eye. For a moment the excitement in her eyes faltered when their gazes met but her smile returned shortly along with a little wink in Ryuu's direction.

And so, the club's roster expanded to a grand total of eight members and their meeting moved from the classroom to the school's tiny campus outside where Ryuu's first club game would take place.

"So what do you guys feel like doing today?" Mion asked after everyone had changed into their gym clothes. Ryuu's eyes constantly wandered off towards Rena's bare legs and he would have to shake himself before they ventured off into more personal areas.

"How about zombie-tag?" proposed Satoko.

"Nah we played that last week," rejected Keiichi, "You know I don't think we've ever played hide-and-go-seek the entire time I've been here."

"Kei-chan, that's a kid's game," Mion chortled.

"Have you got any better ideas?" he retorted.

Mion really didn't have any better ideas and she couldn't conjure any no matter how hard she racked her brain. They had already played every other game in the book and the more she thought about it the more fun it sounded.

"All right but who's gonna be it first?" she asked.

As she expected, no one volunteered.

"All right then I'll have to decide for you! New guy," she snapped her fingers at Ryuu, "you're it."

Normally Ryuu would have complained about Mion's selection but in light of her gracious act of voting him into the club he accepted.

"What should I count to?"

"Better make it one-hundred," answered Shion.

Ryuu groaned irritably. _"I do not have the attention span for that,"_ he objected in his mind. But once again he accepted his charge and walked back inside the school, sitting by the exit as he counted.

The one-hundred seconds he spent sitting there counting felt like one-hundred years to him. Finally he stepped out into the campus and called, "Ready or not here I come!" in a non-enthusiastic kind of voice. He didn't mind being it but having to sit down and count for over a minute nearly bored him to tears.

"Gee, he sure sounds excited," whispered Mion sarcastically to herself, peering out of the small window inside the school's supply cabin where she was hiding. She watched as Ryuu began his search, walking in the opposite direction from her. She relaxed and slouched down, anxiously awaiting for something to happen.

Suddenly, the door swung open and she jumped in her skin with a small yelp which her intruder returned with an equally shocked gasp. "Christ!" breathed Keiichi, "Don't do that!"

"Don't do what?" she whispered dangerously, "You're the one breaking into my hiding place! Get out!"

"I can't. Ryuu's too close!" he whispered.

"Hell if I care! Out, out!"

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ryuu emerge from behind the school building, luckily his back was still turned to them so he didn't notice Keiichi standing right in front of her hiding place like an idiot. Quickly and quietly she motioned him to get inside and shut the door. "In! In!" she whispered, "He's right over there! No don't look he'll see you! Hurry up!"

Keiichi stepped inside and shut the door as silently as he could before tip-toeing next to Mion and crouching down to hide himself. "Is he still there?" he murmured.

"I don't know, you check."

Keiichi tilted his head upward and peeked out of the window. "No he's gone," he informed as he returned to his crouched position.

Mion checked for herself and sat back down once she had confirmed it. "All right, now you leave," she hissed.

"What?! If I leave he'll find me!" he objected, forgetting to use his "inside-voice".

"Shut the hell up!" she snapped in a threateningly low whisper, "He'll hear you."

_Snap!_

That was the snapping of a twig… and it sounded close.

"You idiot! He heard—" Mion was cut off by Keiichi's hand being pressed over her mouth tightly.

There was a rustling of leaves outside, coming from directly behind the two of them. Mion instinctively grabbed the thing closest to her which just so happened to be Keiichi and held on to him as if she intended to beat Ryuu with him should he discover their hiding place. Her hands were yanking on his shirt nervously as the rustling grew louder. Suddenly, the light leaking in from the window above them died down and they could see someone's shadow looming over them. Keiichi had gone numb with dread, so much so that he couldn't feel Mion's arms quickly latch on to his torso as their fearful eyes lingered upon the ominous looking shadow. The shadow grew in size as the person creating it neared the window until the shadow drowned out nearly all the light.

A hollow knocking sound was heard from the window that caused Mion to flinch involuntarily. If it weren't for Keiichi's hand still pressed over her mouth she would have screamed.

_"So you're trying to scare us out eh? You have to get up pretty early in the morning to-" _

There was an ear curdling screeching sound, like nails scraping across a black-board, and they could see movement in what they could still see of the shadow. Whoever was behind them was running their nails down the window slowly with one hand. Keiichi was starting to get worried… Ryuu was really getting in to this. He would have stood up and revealed himself just to get him to go away if he weren't so scared stiff. The two of them couldn't do anything but close their eyes and wait for him leave.

The scratching continued for what felt like hours, causing Keiichi to legitimately believe that the next time he looked outside it would be night time. However a quick glance at his watch revealed it had only been twenty seconds. And finally, after forty agonizingly long seconds Ryuu or whoever that was left. The scratching stopped and Keiichi finally opened his eyes, relieved to see the light fully pouring back in from the window now that the shadow was gone. His feeling came back to him and the first thing he felt was Mion's head on his lap and her arms around his waist.

He couldn't help but notice she had become a lot more… grabby with him lately.

It didn't take long for Mion to notice her position either because she shot up instantly and scooted a few feet away from Keiichi, burying her face in her knees to conceal her lava hot blush.

Keiichi didn't know what made him do it or even think about doing it, but at that moment he decided he'd try something…

"What's wrong Mion?" he asked, as if he had found nothing strange about her former position, "He's gone you know. You can come back over here if you want."

She lifted her head slightly, revealing her reddening face to him. "I'm fine…" she said in an unusually soft voice that recently was becoming more and more common.

Keiichi scooted closer to her, gradually inching towards her until their shoulders were brushing up against each other. Keiichi was feeling nervous now too as he became aware of just how close he had gotten to her. He tried to scoot away but he didn't want to offend her… plus he had gotten himself sandwiched right in between her and the wall.

Mion let gravity pull her a bit closer to Keiichi as she straightened out her legs and let her hand gradually wander toward Keiichi's. Their hands were only centimeters apart when Keiichi shifted slightly, pulling his hand away in the process.

"He didn't scare you did he?" he whispered in a soft voice.

"No," she lied.

Keiichi let the warmth of her shoulder brushing up against his to draw him closer to her until their legs were also touching.

"Why are you getting so close?" she asked suddenly.

"The walls are old and splintery. I was getting poked," he said quickly.

Mion had been hoping for a different answer. "Oh…" she said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

There was a small silence.

"Why? Do you want me to get closer?" teased Keiichi with a grin.

"I wouldn't mind…" she murmured. Both of their faces flushed simultaneously as those words tumbled from her mouth. Keiichi wasn't expecting to hear that and Mion hadn't meant for him to hear it. She wanted to kick herself for saying something so… so creepy.

But to her surprise, Keiichi complied. His arm reached around her soft shoulder and he pulled her in closer to his firm chest. Mion could hardly believe her luck! This was the second time this week Keiichi had done something like this. She had to be dreaming… but she didn't think she would be able to bear it if she woke up.

And while she may not have been dreaming, fate had other ways of tormenting her.

The door flung open and immediately the two separated from one another. This time Ryuu stepped through the door with Satoko in tow, their faces glowing in triumph.

"Oh ho ho ho! What luck! We got ourselves a double catch!" snickered the blonde haired girl.

"So it would seem," agreed Ryuu, "But one has to wonder what these two were doing in here all alone… together. Very curious…"

"N-nothing happened!" stammered Mion, "Keiichi just barged in here when I was trying to hide and blew my cover."

"Hey!" he protested, "If you had just let me in in the first place he wouldn't have seen us!"

"Well, if you had just found the proper hiding place then maybe he wouldn't have got us!"

"You guys sound like an old married couple," cooed Shion who had just appeared in the doorway.

"We're not married!"

"Hauu~! Their faces got so red and cute! I wanna take them home!" chimed Rena who had also just arrived.

The game ended thirty minutes later after Ryuu and the others combed the school for the only two remaining club members: Hanyuu and Rika. However they eventually discovered they had just gone home in the middle of the game. Satoko was infuriated as she stormed back to her house with Shion following her. She had started going home with her everyday now to help her with her homework, help her clean, cook, bathe. She had become more of a maternal figure than a sisterly one.

The older club members went home and parted as always at the bridge. On the way home Keiichi turned to his cousin and gave him a stern look.

"Hey Ryuu," he said, "I'm glad that you got into the game today but don't go around trying to scare us out of our hiding places like that! You really freaked Mion out!"

Ryuu gave his cousin an inquiring look. "Huh?"

"You know what I'm talking about!" he snapped.

"Uh… no."

Ryuu stopped walking when he noticed Keiichi was standing motionless several feet behind him, looking terrified.

"T-that wasn't you?"

"What wasn't?"

Icy cold fear swelled in Keiichi's stomach, churning his insides and making his head spin. None of the other club members would have done that! Who the hell was scratching at the window!?

"Psyche!" laughed Ryuu, "I knew you guys were there the entire time! I just thought I'd have some fun and scare you guys out! I could hear you sniveling from outside! Ha, ha, ha, ha- oof!"

Keiichi socked his cousin in the shoulder in a bit-more-than-playful kind of way. Ryuu spun around, still laughing as Keiichi pursued him with his fists flailing.

______________________________________________________________________________

**Hinamizawa School; 5 minutes after Oishi's murder**

Eric was still staring at the window of the storage cabin, looking completely mystified. He had been there for the whole thing, watching today's club activities with keen interest. Eric had been on the roof, observing him from there and had noticed something very strange about Ryuu. As Ryuu was searching for his classmates he could have sworn he saw him sniffing the air like a blood hound trying to pick up a scent.

At first he thought he was just being theatrical but that kid's nose actually led him to all of his friends' hiding places. Could he actually smell them out?

"What the hell is this kid?" he said aloud to himself.

And then there was the window he scratched at. From a distance it seemed harmless but when he got closer the scratches looked like they had been carved into the glass with a particularly sharp knife. He was surprised Ryuu's fingers didn't suffer any damage… If they had he didn't see anything.

And his face as he was carving away at the glass… it was unnerving. It was trance-like, almost like he was sleepwalking.

_Beep, Beep!_ His pocket was ringing loudly. "The PDTM!" he exclaimed, "Oishi must be alright!"

He removed the small gadget from his pocket and saw a message flash up on the screen. "94 new pictures. 2 new voice recordings."

He checked the pictures first and saw the many photos his mentor had taken. Most of them were pictures of some creepy drawings of demon like monsters. However, two of the pictures were of some kind of Russian transaction form he couldn't understand. But he would worry about that later. He opened up the voice recording files.

The first recording was of poor quality. He could hear voices but they were muffled and distorted. And then his heart skipped a beat… _"Why are there other people?"_

He heard gunfire… screaming… heated shouting… none of which he could understand. Finally the message started to become clear.

He heard Oishi's voice first.

"_Happy now? It's just a camera!"_ he said, his voice slightly distorted by the static.

Who was he talking to?

He heard another voice but whoever was speaking was too far away for the PDTM to pick up.

He stood there in horror as the message played back to him. Everything that took place in Jack's hotel room was replayed before him, ending with the shattering of glass and a sickening _Splat!_

Eric lowered the PDTM slowly, unable to believe his own ears. _"It couldn't be…"_

The second message began playing automatically and Eric held the PDTM back up to his ear when he heard Oishi's voice speaking, much more clearly this time. In the background he could hear an electronic _dinging_ sound leading Eric to believe he was standing in an elevator when he was recording this.

"_Hello? Akira?_" Why was he calling him Akira? Oishi knew his real name… "_It's me, your dad. Listen… I know I'm not your real father Akira and I know you're not my real son. It's just...heh… I know I already told you this earlier today but… I don't want to say you replaced Daiichi after he died. You didn't. But when I looked at you I saw so much of you in him I couldn't help but treat you like him. I just want to let you know… I'm really proud of you son. And I wanted to remind you of that promise you made to me this morning. Remember? No matter what happens to me don—"_

Suddenly Oishi was cut off and Eric could hear the sound in the background completely change. Now he heard the sound of cars zooming by and a swarm of muffled voices.

Someone had recorded over Oishi's message…

And then he heard _his_ voice. That sickening, vile, sadistic low-life: Jack Lanyon.

"_Hello?_ _Hello?"_ came his pompous voice. Eric could hear a lot of commotion and even a few passing cars. He could guess where that Jack was standing in the streets, probably over Oishi's body. He had taken the PDTM from his dead hands and had the nerve to send him a message…

"_Testing 1,2,3. Are you listening?" _there was a short pause, as if Jack had actually expected someone to answer him through the PDTM, _"That was a truly touching message. I'm guessing you're Oishi's adopted son? Akira? Interesting… I never knew he had one. Well, now that I know your name things will get a lot easier for me. Oh but I seem to have left you with a disadvantage. You don't know my name do you? I am Jack Lanyon. There, now we're getting to know each other._"

Despite the poor recording ability of the PDTM the arrogance in Jack's voice was still easily detected.

"_I'm sending this message for two reasons. Number one: I wanted to personally inform you of your beloved foster father's death. Yes, yes, the stupid son of a bitch fell from my apartment after sending you those pictures. Number two is, I wanted to give you a fair warning. You see, those pictures you got were very personal and now that you've seen them well… me and you are going to have a problem. I don't know where the hell you are or what the hell it is that you do but trust me… it won't take long to find out. And as soon as I do I'll find you and kill you. Plain and simple. Oh and another thing. Don't bother trying to use this recording as evidence against me. I programmed this message to delete itself after you finish listening. That's right. That means your daddy's precious message will be gone too. And you didn't even get to hear the ending. Let me just say it was a very sentimental and heart-felt message… I'm sure all the demons in hell are going to be laughing at him when they learn you never got to hear it. Oh look at that! I'm running out of recording time. Well I guess this marks the end of our introduction. I can't wait to finally get to meet you in person… chow."_

________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Woot! My tenth chapter! Woot! So yeah… fun chapter. I enjoyed writing it but as usual it matters what you people think so leave a comment and share with me your thoughts and feelings on it. It'd be much appreciated. :D


	11. Chapter 10: Storm

**Disclaimer: I don't own Higurashi**

______________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 10: Storm

Word of Oishi's murder spread like wildfire the next day. News teams came flooding into Shishibone to get the scoop like vultures to a freshly dead animal. The detective that came down was able to easily deduce that he had fallen from the penthouse after being shot multiple times but anyone could have guessed that given the overwhelming evidence. But the resident of the penthouse had already fled the scene of the crime after he somehow was able to erase his name from the guest registry without being seen by anybody. And Oishi wasn't the only one who was murdered that night. Two foreigners were also found dead but no one knew whether Oishi or his murderer had killed them.

This morbid news was the first thing Keiichi heard about that morning and it mortified him along with the rest of the village. Even the weather seemed to be mourning Oishi's death as it blotted out the sun with the darkest clouds Keiichi had ever seen in his life. He actually thought it was still night time upon waking that morning as looked out from his window. The wind howled all morning long in a way it had never howled before, causing the house to creek and moan almost like it was sobbing. But nothing was as unusual as the cicadas. They were so loud that not even the roaring wind and the rumbling thunder could compete with them.

Keiichi could only guess school would be cancelled on account of the weather. No parent would be willing to send their children outside on a day like this. So Ryuu and Keiichi spent their morning sadly stirring their bowls of cereal while trying to hear the television over the bustling wind and the roaring cicadas. They learned that Hinamizawa and a few other towns were currently under tornado watch, which did nothing at all to make their day any better.

"Good thing we stayed home," sighed Ryuu.

Keiichi didn't speak. He hadn't said anything this morning at all, not even a simple "good morning". But that silence was short lived indeed.

At first Keiichi just thought it was the wind blowing a branch up against the house that was causing the knocking sound but when it didn't stop he finally decided to check the door, wondering who would be daft enough to try stepping outside in weather like this.

It surprised him greatly to see both Rena and Mion standing there, their clothes snapping in the fierce gale that nearly blew Keiichi over upon opening the door. Without a word the two girls stepped into his house, Rena holding her hat down firmly on her head to keep it from blowing away. Keiichi and Mion struggled to shut the door which was surprisingly difficult with all the wind blowing against them. Finally it clicked shut and Keiichi and Mion slid down huffing as Ryuu came in to see what the commotion was all about.

"You again?" he said once he saw Mion sitting in front of the door next to Keiichi, "does she always see you around this time of day?"

"Shut up," puffed Mion, completely out of breath, "I have my reasons."

Ryuu just noticed Rena standing in the room looking disheveled. "Rena? What are you doing here?"

Rena looked at him and Keiichi timidly, suddenly looking very embarrassed. "Uhhhh…" she stammered, "Well… I was waiting for you guys by the bridge like I do every day but Ru-kun and Keiich-kun never came… But Mii-chan saw me when she was walking over here and tried to walk me back home but all the doors were locked so we came here."

"You still tried going to school on a day like this?" asked Keiichi incredulously in an abnormally venomous voice that earned him a concerned look from Mion.

"Keiichi are you okay?" Mion asked soothingly as she placed a comforting hand on his. Keiichi quickly tore his hand away from her and gave her an angry look. "And what's your excuse?" he asked crossly.

Mion recoiled from him, looking hurt by his resentment. "I'm sorry…" she said uneasily.

Keiichi scoffed and stormed away back upstairs to his room, leaving the three of them down in the foyer looking perplexed.

"So you guys heard about Oishi?" asked Mion, linking Keiichi's bad mood with the tragic news.

"Yeah. It was all over the news this morning," confirmed Ryuu, "I met him a few times before. I just wish it had been under more pleasant circumstances."

"Huh? Ru-kun, have you broken the law before?" inquired Rena.

Mion looked suddenly intrigued by the question, curious about the answer herself.

"If you count stealing jelly beans as breaking the law then yes."

The thunder grumbled outside and suddenly they could hear rain pattering against the house and washing down the windows. Rena suddenly looked a little afraid and bit her own thumb nervously. "It's just rain," he soothed, "it won't bite."

"It's not the rain that's bothering me," she squeaked, "It's the Higurashi."

Ryuu heard it too. It seemed that no matter how loud the weather tried to get the cicadas were insisting on being the loudest thing out there.

"They're mourning Oishi," said the green-haired girl seriously, "They always cry when someone in the village dies. But I've never heard them this loud before."

"Mourning? Mion they're just bugs…"

She didn't look like she was up to arguing with him and Ryuu felt likewise. The day's gloomy atmosphere was sapping him of all his energy.

"Did you guys eat yet?" he asked, trying to bring what little light he could to this dark, dark day.

"I thought we had school today so I ate before I left," Rena answered, still looking embarrassed by her mistake.

"I'm not hungry…" Mion answered glumly.

Suddenly the room was submerged in total darkness as the lights overhead flickered out along with every electronic device in the house. Rena quivered and clung onto Ryuu's arm tightly, to which he did not object.

"Uhhhhh…. Why did it get so dark?" she whimpered sheepishly.

"The storm killed the power," answered Ryuu, "And that damn weatherman said there wasn't going to be any more showers this whole week!"

"Do you have a flashlight?" asked Mion from behind him, causing him to jump.

"I think Keiichi keeps one in the kitchen somewhere… let's go find it." And with that he and Rena wandered blindly into the kitchen, groping their surroundings to avoid any collisions. Mion did not follow them however; her eyes were fixed on the staircase leading to Keiichi's room. She had never been to his room before… this was only her second time in his house after all.

She looked from the kitchen to the staircase and before she had even made her decision her legs began carrying her up the stairs like they had a mind of their own. The closer she got to Keiichi's room the more nervous she became. She didn't know why but her heart began thumping madly as if it were trying to run off in the opposite direction. Finally she came face to face with his door, feeling apprehensive as her fingers slowly moved to slide it open.

He didn't even seem to notice her come in the room. He was just lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling looking pensive, his figure just barely lit by the little light leaking in from his window. Timidly she approached him, hoping he would notice her before she had to make herself known or sheepishly retreat back downstairs.

"Mion-chan… I know why you came here," he said suddenly, causing Mion to jump, "Just let it go already…"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your fixation in protection me from Ryuu!" he sat up, his expression invisible behind the veil of darkness that shrouded his face, "He didn't murder Oishi and he isn't going to murder me!"

"What makes you think that's why I came here?" she demanded, even though she knew that was exactly why she showed up here today.

"I know you too well Mion," he said, "You feel obligated to protect everyone just because you're the oldest. When you think someone's in danger you do whatever you can to save them! Mion, it's very touching and all but you're starting to get paranoid! Ryuu wouldn't hurt any of us!"

"What about yesterday?! When we were playing he clawed at the window like some kind of animal! I don't think I had ever been so scared in my life, that didn't even compare to when Takano was hunting us down last summer and trying to kill us! I get a bad vibe when I'm around him Kei-chan…" her voice trailed off as she sat down in Keiichi's desk, "…I get this weird feeling in my head…"

She saw Keiichi shift on his bed and could feel his eyes boring into her. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"I-I… it started when Oishi came to my house the night I called you," she sounded nervous about what she was going to say, just talking about it made her feel terrified, "I woke up after… after you carried me home and stuff… and I remembered I had to help plan for the festival so I ran to the dining hall where we were gonna do it but I heard Oishi on the other side talking to my mom and my grandma." She took a deep and shaky breath like she was about to plunge into icy cold water and she shivered involuntarily.

"Are you cold?" Keiichi asked, sitting forward.

"I'm fine…" she said barely above a whisper as she hugged herself lightly.

Keiichi stood up and threw his bed covers over her shoulders, wrapping it around her with gentle hands as he stood behind her. His arms lingered around her for a moment and they tingled with ecstasy as her hand instinctively went up to his fore-arm. Mion was tempted to let her head slump off and fall asleep in his arms but Keiichi slowly and reluctantly pulled his comforting arms away, leaving the blanket wrapped around her snuggly.

"I really wasn't cold," she said, trying to sound amused by his compassionate gesture but failing miserably as her voice trailed off into a soft and thankful whisper.

"You're welcome," he said knowingly.

Keiichi pulled another chair up and sat next to her so that he could see her blushing face amidst the darkness and waited for her to continue.

"Anyway…" she continued, "they were talking about someone… me I think… they said that I forgot something. Something that happened to me four years ago at some old theater that I guess isn't there anymore. I tried thinking about it but… it made me feel sick. Whenever I try remembering I feel like I might die…"

For the first time Keiichi saw Mion's boyish front fully collapse in front of him as tears began leaking from her pained turquoise eyes. He had seen her cry before but now she just looked so scared. He wanted to hold her now more than ever, to protect her from whatever was trying to hurt her but all he could do was watch helplessly as she began breaking out in sobs.

"It's really, really scary…" she wept, "Every time I get near him I feel like he's going to kill me! I don't want to feel like that! I tried being nice to him and he was nice to me but I can't stop being so afraid of him… I-I-I…" She wanted to say something like "hold me" or "save me" but her tongue seemed to have melted into liquid. She did really want him to help her somehow like he did at the storage cabin yesterday. After Ryuu left she was terrified but all that went away when Keiichi put his arm around her. But for now all she could do was hug herself as her sobs escaped her. She felt so helpless… so alone… so threatened.

"Mion…"

"Oishi said that… that Ryuu did something to me after killing everyone around me in the theater!" she said in between sobs, "And I believe him Keiichi! Why else would I feel so afraid around him? He's going to kill me I-"

Keiichi wrapped his arms around her tightly in desperation. Ever since Keiichi had arrived in Hinamizawa Mion had always watched out for Keiichi no matter how daunting the situation was. That day Takano pointed a gun at all of them she was the one to step up, willing to take the shot. She watched out for all of them… but now it was his turn to watch out for her. He pulled her from her chair and stood her up in front of him as he pulled her into a tight and compassionate embrace, his chin resting on top of her soft green hair as her nose brushed up against his neck. Keiichi didn't care what his actions made her think of him. A primitive urge had awakened inside of him that was telling him to protect Mion at all costs even if it meant they would spend their whole lives locked in this embrace.

At first Mion was shocked by his sudden movement but after the soothing warmth of his soft skin began mingling with hers all her uneasiness was washed away, making her forget all her troubles. Even the raging storm outside was invisible to her. She quivered as her soft lips brushed against Keiichi's neck, only for a split second before she realized what she was doing. She longed to press her lips against his warm skin passionately and every second she remained held by him the harder it was to resist this urge.

"Mion… I don't know if Ryuu really is trying to hurt you," he said, his voice full of warmth and compassion amidst the dark and cold day that surrounded them, "but I promise you I will never let him or anyone else lay a finer on you."

She knew that to bank on such a promise would be foolish of her but… just the way he said it made her feel invincible.

"I believe you," she whispered, her warm breath lightly tickling Keiichi's neck, "I believe you." Her arms wrapped around him in turn and she pulled herself even closer against him until the two figures would have been almost indistinguishable to anyone else.

Mion had known for a long time she had liked Keiichi as more than just a friend, a week ago she might have gone as far to say she loved him. But it wasn't until that moment that she knew what it really meant to love someone. It was a great and terrible feeling. A mixture of ecstasy and misery knowing that it wouldn't be long before she and Keiichi would have to part if only for a little while. Leaving him would mean leaving that feeling of security and happiness she was beginning to get around him… she never wanted that to go away.

At that moment, the same thought went through both their love-struck minds but remained unspoken on the tip of their tongues.

_"I love you… so much," _they thought in unison.

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A/N: Yeah, that was a pretty short one but I still liked it. So anyway… leave a comment telling me what you thought of this chapter!


	12. Chapter 11: Reunion

**Disclaimer: I don't own Higurashi or stuff.**

**A/N: Sorry that I've been off for so long, my brother and sister-in-law just had quadruplets so I've been busy helping them take care of the little ones. :D. **

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Chapter 11: Reunion

_This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong, _

_To love that well which thou must leave ere long._

William Shakespeare

Eric wandered the bleak streets of Hinamizawa alone and tired with his hands shoved in his pockets as he kicked at the dirt road, sending dust flying into the air and swirl around him. It had been about a week since Oishi's murder and yet it still felt like yesterday he discovered his final message to him in his PDTM. It was night now which was almost an improvement compared to the dismal gray clouds that had not left Hinamizawa since the old man died. He hadn't seen the sun in a week.

Eric was on his way to the police station, although he didn't know why his feet were dragging him there in the first place. He just let his legs move about on their own, his mind nearly devoid of thought. Finally he woke from his trance-like state as the station came into view behind the hazy fog that had rolled in that night. He stopped and let his eyes dart around the station absently as he watched silhouetted figures move about behind the windows. He saw his old office, disgruntled to see someone sitting in his desk. He dared wander a little closer to the station, glancing to his left and right cautiously before creeping to his old workplace.

It brought back so many memories…

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In his mind reeled the seemingly ancient memories of Eric's past, beginning with the first time he ever laid eyes on the old station. It was eleven years ago, back when he was still in the military and Daiichi was still alive, when he was walking up the tired old road leading to the station alongside his best friend.

Daiichi and he had been friends ever since they met at a military camp, where Eric was training to be a soldier and Daiichi was studying to work for the army as a scientist. Somewhere along the line though Daiichi had abandoned the world of science to join the armed forces with him after Jack had arrived. Back then Jack still had both his limbs and two fully functional eyeballs but he was still a twisted little bastard, he could sense that the moment he arrived in that heavily plated van and met with the scientists.

Daiichi had been particularly afraid of him but he wouldn't tell Eric why. As the weeks pressed on, Daiichi seemed to get more paranoid every day until he finally forced himself to join the army. At first Daiichi seemed to calm down and regain his youthful spirit… until Jack became a drill-sergeant. He seemed to take a disgusting amount of pleasure out of tormenting Daiichi until he would finally pass out from exhaustion during the daily training sessions.

And that day in front of the station they would meet him again after five peaceful years without him.

"You seem excited to see your dad," he had observed upon entering the station, "It has been a while hasn't it?"

"Yeah it has," Daiichi agreed with a chuckle, "Two whole years."

For those two years Daiichi had come to live in Kent with Eric to help him learn his English and just to be with his friend. But as part of their agreement, Eric would go live in Hinamizawa with Daiichi for a while after their time in England.

"But two years well spent," pointed out Eric.

"Meh… the food there kind of sucked."

"Your food sucks…" Eric grumbled.

"Ah shut it! You love the food here and you know it," teased his friend.

The happy atmosphere around them shattered when they opened the door to Oishi's office. There, behind the grand oak desk, sat a much younger looking Oishi. The wrinkles on his face were much fewer and his hair was only just beginning to gray with a silver strand of hair here and there. He was also much more fit, a flat and much firmer stomach in place of his enormous belly. But in the room with him was none other than Jack Lanyon, looking flustered.

Speaking of Jack…

Back in the present world, Eric had finally come upon the old man's office, surprised to see the light on. He crept closer, crouched down low to remain unseen and kept close to the walls. He could barely see the man standing behind the window and immediately recognized the missing arm.

Jack was reclined lazily in Oishi's desk chair, like he had been during their last meeting, and he was speaking to someone. From this distance Eric couldn't hear anything but muffled speech and the occasional laughter but even in this garbled vocalization he recognized the words he was speaking as English.

Well Jack was from England so that probably just meant he was talking to himself. But he could hear another voice coming from the room so he inched a little closer until he could hear everything almost perfectly from outside.

"-until you hand over our weapon?" said a man in an American accent.

"What's the rush?" asked Jack, trying to sound pleasant.

"What's the rush?! War, man! This is a war of arms! Whoever has the best weapons wins and that means whoever has _Echo_ wins! We need it soon Lanyon or the Russians are going to blow us away with their damn bombs!"

"You can't rush perfection," he answered, "_Echo_ still has a lot of bugs, using it now would do nothing short of killing your men."

"But how much longer?"

"As of now I can't proceed any further in the project," informed Jack, "Not until you get me that bleeding gas! It's essential to _Echo's_ completion!"

"You need to tell us what you plan on doing with two liquid tons of bug-spray," insisted the other man.

"General, every second you spend arguing with me is a second that 'bug-spray' could be flying over here in a cargo jet and a second closer to getting you your weapon."

There was a brief silence as the general sighed deeply, sounding defeated.

"I won't question how you do your business as long as you do it," he grumbled, "I'll get ready to send it to you now… I'll be expecting _Echo_ soon."

"After you get me that spray it won't be long."

"Fine. Over and out."

"God bless America, general…" said Jack. There was a low humming sound followed by a cocky snickering from Jack. "God bless America indeed…"

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The past week had been an uneventful one for both Keiichi and Ryuu. With the Kakou-Saishi rapidly approaching the time left to get a date was rapidly declining. Keiichi had come close to asking Mion during that storm that occurred about a week ago as he was holding her but their romantic situation ended when Ryuu barged in to search for the flashlight.

He had received a well-deserved beating for his intrusion.

As soon as the weather looked safe school began again and each day was the same for the boys with one failed love confession after another.

Ryuu had nearly scared Rena away when he asked her for the first time. Upon meeting her at the bridge with Mion everyone but the Ryuu began talking amongst themselves until Ryuu finally blurted, "Renachanwouldyouliketogotothefestivalwithme?!!" ten times too fast. He actually screamed it, causing her to scurry behind Mion in terror.

Luckily, no one understood what he had said.

Keiichi had no better luck.

"Sooo… Mion-chan," he said slyly after one particularly rigorous club activity involving a deviously designed obstacle course devised by Satoko, "That was pretty fun."

"Hm? Oh yeah, yeah," she agreed awkwardly. Their conversations were always like this now: awkward and full of disappointment.

"I thought you looked good," complimented Keiichi, earning him a confused blush from Mion. "Gah! NO! I meant you looked hot- warm! You were just really sweating and… ahhh… you played well."

"Oh," she said, sounding somewhat disappointed, "Thanks…"

There was a long, drawn out silence which ended as Keiichi bid farewell and went to go change out of his gym clothes, kicking himself.

The whole week dragged on with failed attempt after failed attempt, leaving the girls more and more confused by their odd behavior.

But the days of tomfoolery were marked with Oishi's upcoming memorial service and burial on Saturday afternoon. So that the whole village would be able to attend, Oryo had requested all the students to be let off school to which the principal generously obliged. The sun hadn't shown itself all that week and it hadn't decided to return on Oishi's funeral either.

It was noon and the boys were getting ready for the morbid service to come.

Even though Oryo had commissioned for this service she had decided to be lenient on the dress code, straying from her stubborn traditions this one time. Keiichi had chosen to wear a black dress jacket over a white button-up shirt that he was currently struggling with to fasten the top button on his collar. He stole one of his dad's black clip-on ties and snapped it on his collar before slipping on a pair of black dress pants.

He was examining himself in the mirror when Ryuu came busting in, wearing nothing but a sleeveless tee-shirt and his boxers. "I need a suit," he said, sounding distressed.

"This is my only one," Keiichi informed.

"What about Uncle Ichirou's?"

"Ha ha! My dad doesn't wear suits," he chuckled.

"Isn't he an artist? Shouldn't he keep one to wear for art-shows and stuff?"

"You'd think that wouldn't you?"

Keiichi snapped open a bottle of cologne and splashed some on his sleeves and on his neck.

"Just go get on some black," murmured Keiichi.

"I want to look respectful!" he snapped.

"I have a black sweater and some black jeans if that makes you happy."

"Fine, where are they?"

"In your room I think…"

Ryuu scurried out of the room and stormed down the stairs as Keiichi sniffed himself before splashing on a bit more cologne here and there. Finally the time had come to depart once the two of them were ready. The service was going to be held in a place Keiichi had never been to before, in some garden by the Sonozaki house.

The two cousins walked under the sad, gray clouds silently as they listened to the cicadas cry their lamenting screeches into the air which made the mournful mood even more depressing. Sonozaki manor became visible behind the shroud of trees blocking their view and as they passed the front gate the two cousins almost parted ways, Keiichi had his foot through the archway while Ryuu was continuing down the road.

"Where are you going?" they asked in unison.

"That's not the way to the garden," grumbled Ryuu.

"How would you know?"

"I used to live here, remember?"

"Isn't this Sonozaki property though? I thought you and Mion never really met so how would you know where it is unless she showed you?"

"I stumbled upon it once…" he answered vaguely, "Hurry or we'll be late."

Ryuu led him to a path paved with smooth stepping stones spread about ten inches apart each. The path led into the woods, through a large gap in the trees that was big enough for the two of them. As they neared it Keiichi could hear a chorus of sad violins from behind the barrier of branches that allured him closer. They stepped through the gap and came into a large clearing about the size of an American Football field that had rows and rows of chairs organized so that an aisle was created down the middle in front of the small stage that had a podium sitting on top of it.

A sea of black weaved around the mass of chairs as other mourners greeted one another. It seemed that the whole village _and_ Shishibone had gathered here in the clearing to celebrate the life of the old, ancient detective who was forever resting inside the black marble casket that was swirled with white streaks in the stone. The casket was open, allowing the mourners to give the old man one final goodbye before sorrowfully standing aside for the others wishing to give their beloved guardian one last look.

Mr. Akira was standing in front of the casket now as the two boys approached. Despite the tears rolling down his cheeks, Akira seemed to be struggling to keep a strong looking face. He looked down at his foster father with sad yet strong eyes as the line grew behind him. Some were growing impatient, but he refused to tear his eyes away from the casket just yet.

Keiichi could see a lump growing in his throat as the young man fought back his sobs.

"I'll be strong for you, dad…" he said finally, his voice trembling, "…like I promised."

Finally he stood aside for the others, wiping his eyes with his sleeve and trying to regain his composure.

"That's so sad…" said Keiichi, "I never even knew Oishi had a son, let alone an adopted one."

Ryuu didn't comment.

_Sniff, sniff…_ went his nose as he smelt the air around him.

"You okay Ryuu?" asked his cousin sincerely, "You sound like you're about to cry."

When he spoke, he sounded more angry than he did sad. "I'm fine," he said through clenched teeth, "I just can't believe—" He trailed off and relaxed his shoulders with a deep exhale, "Let's find the girls."

Among the sea of black it was easy to identify their friends on account of their unnaturally bright hair colors. The girls were all huddled in one group, looking miserable as they stood at the edge of the clearing in silence. As the boys approached no one was able to summon a greeting, the mournful atmosphere silencing them. They just exchanged nods and a few brief grins.

Rika and Hanyuu, priestesses of Oyashiro-sama, were the only ones wearing any bright color with their traditional white and red kimonos. Satoko stood next to them in a black sleeveless dress that went down to her knees, wearing a solemn look. Shion and Mion both were wearing the same outfits, a black kimono with a dark purple sash tied around the waist. The only distinction between the two was their usual hairstyles. Even Rena, who usually was brimming with girlish glee and happiness, wore an outfit almost identical to her normal getup but this one was woven with black fabric. He face was rigid, serious, and sad just like everyone else's.

They all turned back to the casket which was had a large queue forming behind it that seemed to stretch all the way back to the other end of the clearing.

"Just shows you how important that guy really was…" observed Mion sadly, "…to all of us."

"Here, here," agreed Ryuu with a small nod.

"He was the village's real guardian..." Rena said solemnly, "Not Oyashiro…"

Everyone gave her a surprised look, astonished to see Rena actually discredit Oyashiro for once. "Rena-chan…" Shion said, sounding alarmed.

"She's right though," said Hanyuu, "Oishi-sama was the one who spent years searching for the killer behind the murders… Oyashiro-sama didn't do anything but stand by and watch the village fall into chaos for years…"

"You sound like you were there Hanyuu-chan," Satoko observed.

"I hear they're choosing a new detective today at the ceremony," Shion said suddenly, "But I don't think anyone would replace Oishi."

"Maybe it's Akasaka-san," pondered Rika.

"I don't think so. He wouldn't move his family out here now that they've finally gotten settled over in Tokyo," contradicted Mion.

_Sniff, sniff…_

All eyes turned to Ryuu.

"…."

"…."

"Are you crying Ryuu-kun?" Rena asked seriously.

"No…" he answered darkly, "why do you ask?"

"You were sniffling."

"Was I? Guess this weather is just giving me a runny nose."

Their conversation was interrupted by the high-pitched whining of a microphone as Akira began adjusting it, silencing everyone instantly as they gave him their undivided attention.

"Thank you all for coming out here tonight…" he said into the microphone, his eyes glued onto the sheet of paper lying on the podium below him, "If you will all take a seat we will begin the ceremony. Thank you."

The sea of black shifted as everyone struggled to get seats closest to the front. Keiichi sat down next to Mion right in the front row while Ryuu and the others were forced to sit in the row behind them as all other available seats were filled. Everyone stared up at Akira, keenly waiting for him to continue.

"Thank you," he said again, "Most of you don't know me so I will begin my eulogy with a small introduction. I am Oishi's adopted son, Akira." The whole clearing erupted in hushed whispers; this was the first time most had heard of Oishi having an adopted child.

"Yes, yes. I know this is news to most of you if not all of you. My father… Oishi… sent me to a boarding school during the Hinamizawa dam crisis all those years ago to protect me from the potentially violent situation. He adopted me only a month before then, two years after his real son died who I'm sure some of you still remember," he paused for a moment and bit his lower lip, "What can I say about Oishi? What can I say about my father? He was protective, I'll give him that."

Light laughter buzzed among the audience.

"He loved his job too and he fought hard to protect the village he loved even more…" Akira looked out at the audience and grinned, "I'm kind of surprised by the turnout though, I know a lot of you hated him. Most are probably thinking, 'I just came out here to make sure that old bastard was dead,'."

Keiichi had to chuckle a bit at that. He was sure that if this were a few months ago, before he really got to know Oishi, he would have been thinking that very thing.

When the laughter died down he continued. "But… I want you people to know… he really did care about all of you in the most sincere way imaginable and he was willing to do anything to protect you. He spent years and years relentlessly working on finding the Hinamizawa murderer so that all of you people could sleep at night feeling safe and eventually he played a major role in bringing down the people responsible for those tragic deaths…"

An irritating sniffing sound came from behind Keiichi, causing him to finally turn over his shoulder to see Ryuu sniffing the air like some kind of dog. The others were staring at him with bemused expressions, unsure what to make of his behavior.

"Ru-kun?" Rena whispered tentatively.

He snapped out of it, blinking as he noticed the many perplexed eyes looking upon him and he flushed a little in embarrassment before silently hanging his head.

The eulogy dragged on for several minutes as Akira told unheard tales of the old man's heroism back in his youth. Keiichi learned a lot of things about that man like the fact he led a resistance force back in WWII when Japan allied with the Axis powers. Or the fact he had a family long ago that was torn from him by some man Akira refused to name. The list went on and on, opening the eyes of all the mourners to how great of a man Oishi had been.

"It just goes to show you," Akira said, drawing his speech to a conclusion, "You don't really know what have until you it's gone. Few of you saw what a gem Oishi was and the pain he went through to protect you was invisible to most of you. But now I hope you see what we have lost: a guardian, a father, and most of all a friend. Thank you."

Akira stepped down from the podium, leaving his speech behind, and took a seat among the others. Out of respect for the dead, nobody applauded. Instead they all hung their heads for a moment of silence.

Keiichi could hear some sniffling scattered upon the crowd and a few exceptionally teary eyed people had to get up and leave, dabbing their watering eyes with handkerchiefs and tissues. Keiichi felt his eyes sting and a lump form in his throat as he fought back the tears accumulating in his sad purple eyes. Mion held his hand tightly as she wiped her tear stained face with her free hand. He began stroking the back of her hand with his thumb and gave her a tight and caring squeeze as another man stood up to the podium. The man looked rather frightening to Keiichi, making him shift apprehensively in his seat. Aside from his missing arm and the black tattered eye patch that covered his badly scarred eye, the vibe he got from him was unnerving. His face was probably alone amongst all the others in the clearing that did not look sorrowful or even remotely sad. There was smugly victorious looking glint in his good eye and his mouth was quivering as if he were trying to hold back a fit of laughter.

He heard Ryuu shift behind him and saw him out of the corner of his eye, running down the aisle and away from the stage. Mr. Akira also looked surprised and even insulted by this man's appearance, for a moment Keiichi thought Akira was going to run up to the stage and viciously beat the man to death. Keiichi turned around and saw his cousin scurry down the aisle in a disheveled manor, limping on his left leg as though he had been shot there.

"Wonderful sentiments Mr. Akira, I was deeply moved," he said in a bored tone, "Indeed Detective Oishi was a treasure and one that will never be forgotten."

Keiichi fixed his eyes on Oishi's foster-son and saw him open his mouth but quickly close it, looking furious.

"He was a true guardian and will be sorely missed. But now this town is in need of a new guardian is it not?" his eyes lit up with excitement as he finally began the topic he had wished to discuss in the first place, "It has already been decided that I, Detective Howard Frost, should become this village's new detective."

The crowd took this news poorly, their mournful attitudes forgotten and replaced with outraged cries and raised fists.

Akira finally stood up to the stand, seething.

"It's a bit early don't you think?" he hissed dangerously.

"Not at all. This village needs protection and I have been chosen to deliver it," he answered slyly.

"So you just show up out of the blue and expect us to allow you to take that man's position?!" cried one of the mourners, "And what's with this Howard Frost crap? I can tell who you are even with that bleeding eye patch, Jack!"

All the adults in the crowd seemed to recognize him and they all seemed to hate him too as they shouted loathing comments and spiteful remarks at the one armed man.

Jack did not seem even the least perturbed that they had recognized him, his arrogant face shining brightly. "It's not for you to decide," he said to the man who had spoken out against him, "The military found me best suited for the job."

"The military?!"

"Since when did the military get involved in appointing detectives?!"

"What the hell are you up to Lanyon?"

Keiichi gave Mion an inquiring look but she looked just as lost as he did.

"I'm not up to anything," he answered, "You people know my history. Me and this village have a special relationship."

"Yeah after you tried to drown it!" snapped Miss Chie from somewhere in the audience.

"You've got some nerve showing your face around here again after you commissioned to build that dam you bastard!" shouted Oryo furiously in her croaky voice, "Why… if I had my katana right now I'd… I'd."

"Yes, yes we've already had that one," snickered Jack sinisterly, "Glad to see you're still alive Oryo-sama."

The old women spat rebelliously in his direction with a hateful look in her eyes, causing most of the other villagers to follow her example.

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Ryuu stumbled through the thick branches and tripped over the rugged ground several times, his head whining loudly. And old hatred he thought he had left at the asylum suddenly returned, quite uninvited, and was stirring up inside him again making him think thoughts of bloody work. The thorns were tearing at his already ripped pants, scraping flesh away with each passing. For a moment he thought something was biting him but he reminded himself that he was surrounded by thorns and trudged on further and further away from the clearing. On this side of the clearing the forest was much thicker; he had yet to see light leak in through the gaps in the branches.

_"Why is he back? Why?"_ he thought to himself frantically, "_After he was out of my life everything was happy again. I saw the village again, people again, I even laughed for the first time in four years! But now… now…"_

Tears fell from his eyes and splashed upon the branches and dry leaves crunching beneath his feet. The perfect world around him that he thought would last forever was shattering before his eyes like a beautiful stain-glass window being smashed by a wrecking ball, sending the shards of his life scattering into all directions and completely out of his reach.

_"Kill him, kill him, kill him, kill him,"_ sung the voice in his mead merrily, _"He's back again to hurt you. Kill him, kill him." _

"No," he grunted defiantly, "I PROMISED!"

His pants-leg got caught on a long hooked branch, tearing as he fell to the floor and landed on the crinkly leaves and prickly branches head first. The thorny branches dug into his head and he could feel the pointy ends of the thorns scrape against his bone painfully. He cursed loudly as he removed the barbed branch from his forehead, glancing at the dark red blood dripping from the thorns. He threw it aside and struggled to free his leg from the branch that had snagged his pants leg, but to no avail. The rip in his pants only grew with his struggling but showed no sign of releasing him.

The many other spiky branches scattered around him began pressing into his arms and his side as he wriggled futilely for freedom. His heart began racing, so loudly he could hear it in his head so that he couldn't hear the cicadas crying around him from the trees. His eyes became fixed on his leg as his frustration reached its boiling point, causing his pupils to shrink and for a manic smile to flicker on his lips.

Suddenly something shot from the ground, something long and flimsy that Ryuu perceived to be a snake. It wrapped around his leg and around the branch, hissing at him while its unblinking eyes met his terrified ones. Ryuu began screaming and thrashing leg madly but the snake only tightened its hold.

"Sssssssss," it hissed menacingly, baring its large fangs at him.

"No! No! Get away!" he cried, "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

The snake tightened its grip.

_"Kill it! Kill it! It'll bite you! Biting hurts… it really hurts!" _warned the voice in his head.

"Ssssssssssssss," it went again.

Ryuu cringed fearfully before letting out a battle cry and hurling a rock at the snake, hitting it squarely on the head. But it didn't even flinch or show any sign of letting up. Ryuu grabbed one of the barbed branches, ignoring the cutting pain he received when he grasped it in his soft palm, and he began whacking it at the snake nearly oblivious to the fact he was tearing up his own leg in the process.

"Ssssssssssssst…" it hissed.

"Off! Off! Off!"

"Sssssssto….sssstop!" It was no longer just hissing, it was speaking and in a voice that sounded hurt and shaky.

He withheld his blows. Snakes don't talk… people talk… people do….

He blinked feverishly and the snake transformed before his eyes into a beautiful, teary eyed, red haired girl with her hands around his leg. It was Rena… her hand was bleeding and was torn from the merciless blows it had received from Ryuu and her arm had a small gash in it as well, no doubt from Ryuu's rock. _"I… that was a hallucination?"_ he thought to himself in disbelief.

"Rena..." he said breathlessly, "Oh God… oh my God… what have I done?"

She unhooked his pants from the branch once he had become completely still, looking at him nervously. Ryuu laid there motionless, ashamed and horrified at what he had done. Maybe… maybe he did belong in a cell after all. Rena scooted closer to him and placed a hand on his forehead; examining the cuts that first thorny branch had given him. He could hardly believe she could willingly stand so close to him after what he had done… was she not afraid?

"What happened?" she asked sincerely, now turning her attention to his cut up arms.

"I tripped…" he answered, still sounding out of breath, "that branch caught me."

Rena only nodded in acknowledgment before looking at the leg he had cut up when he was trying to beat away the "snake". His heart fluttered when he saw genuine concern in those caring topaz eyes of hers. Even after what he had done to her she still was worried about him. She had stayed by him even after he unknowingly threatened to kill her.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, "I wasn't myself. I don't know what came over me."

"It's alright," she assured with a relaxing smile, "Just so long as Ru-kun is safe."

He smiled at her in turn, his body warming as if he had just slid into a warm bath that calmed his nerves and slowed his heart. She suddenly tore a long strip of cloth from her black dress and scooted closer towards him, leaning in to tie the cloth around his forehead.

"What are you doing?"

"Ru-kun's head was bleeding a lot so I thought I should cover it up. There! Dr. Ryugu performs another perfect operation."

He smiled at her affectionately. "Thanks," he said softly, his cheeks tingling as they began flushing pink.

"No problem!" she cooed, "Just don't go running off into the woods like that anymore. Speaking of which, why did you come out here anyway? Huh? Huh?"

His smile faded as his troubles reawakened. For a blissful moment he had forgotten Jack was back and his perfect world mended itself one more time before crumbling around him again. He couldn't tell her about it either… not without revealing his awful past to her. Not only that, he couldn't offer any explanation as to why he tried to beat her hand off with a thorny branch, he couldn't just say he was hallucinating! He felt alone again… like being back in the dark cell. Alone, tired, and completely helpless. His body had gone numb with misery, making him oblivious to the tears rolling down his face.

"Ru-kun, are you crying?" she asked in a concerned voice, "Why I wonder… why?"

"It's nothing…" he sobbed.

"Is it your leg? Does it hurt?"

He shook his head and drew his knees to his face, "I'm fine," he lied.

She was looking at him side-ways, wondering if he was going to go into a rage again. But despite that chance she inched closer to him and placed a comforting hand on his, squeezing it softly. Ryuu looked at her kind and gentle eyes and then upon the hand she was holding so tenderly. Her hand was still cut and torn in many places from his manic thrashing and he felt a twinge of guilt in his throat.

"Why…" he began, choking on his words as he tried to get them out, "I threatened to kill you… I didn't mean it but… why didn't you stop?"

"Are you made at me?" she asked sheepishly, looking as guilty as he felt.

"No! No of course not! I just… I threatened to kill you and I even hit you with a rock. Why didn't you back away?"

Rena looked as if she didn't know the answer to that question herself as she bit her thumb thoughtfully and turned her eyes to the sky as if they would provide an answer. "You were in trouble," she said plainly, "Ru-kun was in trouble and Rena wanted to help. Even though you started to scare me when you yelled at me and stuff I knew you needed help."

"And you aren't mad at me for hurting your hand?"

She shook her head energetically, her glistening orange hair waving side-to-side. "I know you weren't yourself so I guess it was kind of like an accident."

Ryuu smiled warmly at her, their hands still intertwined with one another. A mutual blush streaked across both their faces as their fingers began instinctively mingling with each other until their hands were folded together tightly however their hand's loving embrace lasted for just a moment until they both pulled away simultaneously, looking embarrassed.

"Hauu~ my heart is going _thump, thump_ really fast! I wonder why," she cooed suddenly, placing a hand on her chest, "My chest always goes _thump, thump_ when Ru-kun is around!"

Rena did not realize the connotation of the words she was saying as she began chanting, "thump, thump," in sync with her heartbeat with a gleeful smile on her face. She was so happy right now… it was a refreshing sight for Ryuu amidst all of the tears that had been shed that day. Her happiness was like a light in the darkness for Ryuu and he never wanted to see that light go out.

He no longer felt alone and helpless like he had moments ago, in fact he felt more alive than he could remember feeling in a long time.

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The service ended with the announcement of a statue being erected in the clearing for Oishi that the Sonozaki family was commissioning for. This lightened the mood somewhat but the hateful wind that had delivered Jack Lanyon to the village still lingered. Keiichi didn't really know Jack well at all but he already hated him. From the outbursts of the spectators Keiichi had learned that Jack had commissioned for the dam's construction years ago and that he was responsible for the death of Oishi's real son. When these points were brought up by the audience Jack almost seemed to swell up in pride. He left when things looked like they were going to get ugly, assuring them all he would be seeing them around the village.

He was so smug it made Keiichi want to scream.

Finally the audience broke out in song to commemorate their beloved detective. Keiichi did not know the lyrics but Mion helped him along. The song was sad, so sad Keiichi thought it would drain him of all his energy. Finally Oishi's marble casket was buried in front of where his statue was to be erected, smack tab in the middle of the clearing. They all gathered around the casket to watch him be buried before everyone exchanged their goodbyes and began heading home, most of them in tears.

Mion had been crying for a good ten minutes now, using Keiichi's suit as a handkerchief to collect her tears. He was caressing her hair fondly as she sobbed heavily into his shoulder, her body trembling with each heaving breath. Keiichi hated seeing her like this; usually she was so confident and playful.

Eventually the entire clearing had emptied and the sun was beginning to set behind the thick, gray clouds that kept the village in darkness. Mion had stopped crying now; the two of them had sat down in two of the thousands of empty seats lined up in the clearing with her head resting on his firm shoulders as he held her close to him with his loving arms. To anyone else they would have looked like a couple but to them they were just a pair of ordinary friends trying to get over the death of someone they cared deeply about.

Neither of them had spoken since the end of the service until Keiichi finally decided to try and brighten the mood.

"So… Kakou-saishi is in just a couple days," he began awkwardly.

Mion's eyed widened with attentiveness as her heart did a backwards summersault in her chest while simultaneously releasing a swarm of butterflies in her stomach. "Y-yeah…" she stammered. This was the moment she'd been waiting for!

Awkward silence.

Keiichi clicked his tongue and checked his watch for no particular reason before clearing his throat and tugging on his shirt collar. "It's ahh… hot day today isn't it?" The temperature was fifty-four degrees Fahrenheit.

She nodded eagerly.

_"Ask her, ask her, ask her, ask her,"_ he thought to himself. "So yeah… anyone-anyone asked you yet?" he asked in a would-be casual tone if his voice weren't squeaking with each syllable.

"No," she said quickly, hardly able to contain herself.

Keiichi wanted to back out! He couldn't ask her now! Not now! Not now! Not now!

"Wanna go together?!" he blurted loudly.

She shot up, her face shining with a brilliant girlish glee that was almost blinding. "Yes!" she exclaimed jovially in a voice so loud it startled the birds from their resting places in the trees and sent them flying off into the air, away from the disturbance.

Keiichi blinked, not sure what to make of her speedy reaction. Finally realizing her own embarrassing excitement, Mion cleared her throat and put on her tom-boyish façade again. "I-I mean sure, if you want to. I don't want to end up cursed this year," she sniggered.

"Y-yeah…"

Awkward silence prevailed again.

The two of them were finding it immensely difficult to contain themselves, Keiichi wanted to scream with joy while bounding down the street without a care in the world while Mion developed a sudden desire to begin ripping through her wardrobe for something appropriate. He stood up mechanically, his joints stiff from all the pent up happiness welling up inside him. He wanted to say something but his jaws were locked together like a rusted hinge. In the end all he could sum up for a farewell was a simple, "Bye," which she returned with, "See ya."

Neither of them had ever felt this happy… not in their entire lives.

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A/N: Good, very good I feel. I liked typing this one out, lots of neat stuff went down here. But as usual, my opinion doesn't count for crap. You people need to tell me what you thought. Until then though, _Happy Easter!_


	13. Chapter 12: The Calm Before the Storm

**Disclaimer: For the umpteenth time I do not own the Higurashi franchise! If I did you could tell.**

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Chapter 12: The Calm Before the Storm

Jack Lanyon had made his presence well known all throughout Hinamizawa. Goons of all shapes and sizes had begun prowling the streets in large trucks that rattled as they zoomed down the road. And that had all just started today, only one day after his arrival. And to make things worse they were being forced to go to school on Sunday because of the day they skipped for Oishi's funeral! Keiichi didn't see the justice in that.

When Keiichi arrived at school that day his fellow classmates all arrived in groups, even those who would normally make the commute to school alone. They said their parents had insisted that they travel together and Keiichi couldn't help but associate the adult's recent paranoia with Jack's arrival.

Mr. Akira was also acting strangely, the kind demeanor he had presented himself with his first day here had vanished and he had adopted a viciously tyrannical attitude toward his students. History class was the worst.

"I have your essays," he said in a blasé tone, "Huzumu-kun your answer was unreadable…"

The small boy named Huzumu sunk in his seat shamefully.

Akira was grumbling under his breath as he flipped through the two paged essays he had assigned last class on Ancient Rome and whether or not they felt the rise of the Roman Empire contributed to the fall of Rome itself. Even the little children had to write at least a full page essay!

He had been like this ever since Oishi died but today he was especially nasty.

"Keiichi-kun, I want you to see me after class," he droned, "I need to talk to you about your God-awful paper- oh and Kozumi-kun," he addressed one of the first years with a sneer, "I couldn't help but notice you wrote your answer upside down…"

Kozumi, the same boy Ryuu had accused of drug abuse a week ago, flushed, "I didn't realize it until I was finished! Forgive me sensei!"

"Oh stop sulking boy," he snapped before taking a brief moment to look over his paper some more, "Do you do it deliberately Kozumi?"

"Do what?"

"Be a complete and total moron."

Some of the other students found that quite funny.

"Don't snigger Huzumu," he snapped at the boy again, "it's not that funny… you horrid little twerp. God I wonder why I bother to put up with you nasty little- Put it away Kento-kun!" he blurted suddenly, causing the class to turn their heads to the boy in question who was currently trying to hide the small candy bar in his hand from Akira's critical eye, "Should I see it again this period Kento I shall have to tweak you… stop fidgeting for God's sake you festering pile of filth. You can't stop stuffing your face for five minutes can you? Has your mother seen those boils? Yes well, maybe if you would stop eating all that bloody chocolate you wouldn't look like you just came back from the surface of the sun. No, no, no… stop crying it won't get you any sympathy."

The bell rang at long last, finally releasing the children from Mr. Akira's scorn and tyranny.

"Right, since tomorrow is the festival I have decided to cut down your essays on Julius Caesar and whether you feel he would have made a good dictator for Rome to only one page long. Kozumi, just try and write 'Rome'. I expect it by Tuesday. See you all at the festival."

He shuffled out of the room with his papers in hand, grumbling something to himself. On his way out he turned back and said, "Keiichi! I expect you in my office in five minutes.

"Jeez, I felt bad for the guy after he lost his dad and all but does he really have to take it out on us?" whined Shion.

"Don't worry," piped Rika, "Akira-sensei will be back to normal before next class. He just had to blow some steam. Nipah~!"

"Yeah, we'll see," scoffed Ryuu, "Keiichi, I'll meet you outside. Rena-chan do you want to wait with me?"

She nodded happily, "Of course!"

After those two left there was only Mion, Keiichi, and a handful of other students getting together in their groups for the journey home.

"I guess no club meeting today," said Keiichi to his green-haired club leader as he packed his school-bag insipidly.

"Why would you say that?" inquired Mion.

"Aren't you on the festival's planning committee? Since it's tomorrow and all I thought you'd be pretty busy."

"Oh right," said Mion, sounding flustered.

The awkward silence they had endured yesterday returned as the two teens racked their brains to summon some kind of intelligent sounding farewell this time. Rather than saying anything though, Mion had decided to give Keiichi a light peck on the cheek instead.

Everyone around them froze as if time itself had stopped, gawking at the two of them with loose jaws and wide eyes.

Keiichi didn't know how to react; the gears in his head had suddenly become jammed and his brain didn't want to work. Mion blushed and quickly stepped several feet back, looking ashamed.

She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out so in desperation she fled the classroom, her green hair dancing behind her as she zipped out. Keiichi placed his hand where her soft lips had touched him and smiled fondly. Her lips were so warm…

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Rena and Ryuu were standing outside as the sun was setting in the clear sky. Ryuu was currently pushing a giggling Rena in the school swing while contently watching her orange hair bounce with every dip. He didn't see Mion sprint out the front door, her face as red as a bruised tomato, and dash down the dirt road.

"Nice day," he commented, "Good to see the sun again."

Rena turned her head to the setting sun and smiled. "Yeah," she agreed as her eyes streaked across the brilliant orange sky, straying upon the ginger clouds that were collecting the sun's dazzling light, "I like sun sets…"

"What do you like about them?" he inquired, trying to keep the conversation flowing.

"They're so pretty," she said in a tone that would suggest it was the most obvious thing in the world, "What other reason is there?"

"There's a couple…" he mumbled as he gave her another push on the swing.

"Huhh? Ru-kun, is there something about the sunset you really like?"

He was grateful he was standing behind her right now, making her blind to the blush creeping across his cheeks. "N-not really," he stammered.

"You don't think that they're pretty?"

"No, I think they're really pretty," he said with an affectionate chuckle, "But that's not why I like them so much."

"What then?" she prodded keenly, turning her head as much as she could to face him.

"It's silly…"

"I won't laugh," she promised, "Just tell me."

Ryuu smiled at her fondly. "Promise not to laugh?"

"Cross my heart," she said, beaming at him.

Rena felt her heart thumping in her chest again and it almost startled her. She didn't know why it did that whenever he was around. She was suddenly feeling anxious like she was expecting something but not really knowing what.

Ryuu had stopped swinging her and let his hands drop to his side. He couldn't believe he was actually going to say it… it was so cheesy.

"They remind me of you…" he said, barely above a whisper.

For once Rena's childlike and innocent demeanor faltered as a combination of numerous emotions intertwined in her chest. First she felt her heart skip, unable to believe her own ears. Second she felt her stomach twinge with excitement, whether or not it was apprehension or joy she could not tell. But most of all she felt warmth consume her, starting at her cheeks and washing down to the tips of her toes. Her face began to match her red hair as a blush became visible on her cheeks. She stopped swinging and twisted the swing around so she was facing him.

"Is that good?" she whispered softly.

"Yes, that means I think you're..." he choked on his words, trying to decide the right adjective to use, "I think you're very beau—pretty!"

The wishy-washy excitement in her belly stirred with ecstasy and delight. It was odd that such a simple compliment would make her feel so happy. Keiichi had called her pretty before, her dad had, Mion had… but when they said it she didn't feel like she did now.

"So… the thing is tomorrow," he said, tripping over his words.

"Thing?"

"The dancing thing- the festival."

Her heart was thumping like a drum-roll.

"You want to go?" he said finally.

Fireworks shot off in her chest, causing her body to heat up to the point where she thought she'd melt.

"I'd like that," she answered in a soft whisper.

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Back in the records of Eric's mind…

"What the hell are you doing here?" he had screamed when he saw Jack in the office.

Jack spun around when he heard the intrusion, his hair was greasy and disheveled like he hadn't washed it for days.

"Boys…" gasped Oishi, "I didn't know you were coming today."

"We got here early," seethed Daiichi, his eyes still fixed on that hateful man standing in the room, "What is that git doing here?"

"That what?" Oishi looked confused.

"Sorry, sir. That's just an old English expression for pansy-ass waste of life!" shouted Eric.

"Good to see you boys again," greeted Jack coolly, regaining his composure as he sleeked down his slimy hair.

"What are you doing here?" Daiichi asked again.

"I'm here on business," he informed smugly with a self-important tone, "Something children should not be getting involved in."

"With all due respect Mr. Lanyon," hissed Oishi dangerously, "I would appreciate it if you would not speak to my son like that."

Jack seemed to remember his place and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," he apologized, "I have a bit of a temper."

"What—is—he—doing—here?" demanded his son once more, sounding out of breath.

"He was just leaving," answered Oishi with a forceful look at Jack.

Jack's outraged face suggested otherwise. "You're serious?" he said in a disbelieving voice, "I'm offering you five million pounds! Five million! That's over 740,000,000 yen! How can you turn down something like that?"

For a flashing instant Eric put his hatred for Jack aside and began secretly wishing Oishi would take his offer.

"Out," seethed the aging man in a dangerously low voice.

That one word struck Jack like a poison-tipped arrow, sending him stumbling backwards in shock with a disbelieving look.

"Ten million pounds then!" he offered, sounding desperate, "You'd have to be daft to turn that down."

Jack cowered behind Oishi's hateful stare, silently demanding him to leave his office at once. Jack kept his eyes on him as he groped for his suitcase and his bowler hat, his body trembling with fury and fear. He looked like he was about to say something but no words came from his open mouth as he slammed the door behind him, leaving the three men at last.

_Knock, knock_.

Eric blinked as he shook himself from his memories, reawakening to the present world where Oishi was dead and he was stuck teaching a class full of children because of Oishi's promise to the Sonozaki family to protect Mion. Now that he wasn't here to do it he had become her guardian.

"Come in," he said in the detached voice he had just recently adopted.

Keiichi stepped into his office which, he noticed instantly, was not at all what he had expected. There were newspaper clippings pinned all over the tan colored walls in a organized fashion, all of them contained articles about the Hinamizawa murders, the dam project, and there were a few ones written in English that he couldn't understand. The only word he recognized was "Jack Lanyon," and one about Oishi's biological son Daiichi. There were so many clippings he could hardly see the wall behind all of them. The newest addition was one about Oishi's murder which was pinned directly above the door frame leading into the office so that Mr. Akira always had a good view of it.

It was all very obsessive.

"Ah, Maebarra-kun glad you finally decided to show up," he said, "Please have a seat," he said pleasantly, indicating to one of the two cushioned seats in front of his desk, both were littered with a mess of newspaper clippings.

"Oh, sorry about the mess," he apologized as he scooped up the clippings from the chairs and stacked them neatly on his desk, "Do you like my collection?"

"Uh…"

"Speechless I know," said Mr. Akira with a grin, "Most are when they see my office. You should have seen your principal when he saw my office for the first time." He paused for a moment with a dreamy grin on his face, as if recalling a fond memory. "But enough of that- oops," one of the clippings had slid from his desk and onto Keiichi's lap.

It had a picture of Jack on it, smiling proudly next to a column describing his victory in purchasing the rights to begin the dam project in Hinamizawa.

"I never knew they tried building the dam on sacred ground," mumbled Keiichi as he skimmed through the article.

"Yes," Akira said grimly, "Supposedly over an old burial site where the fabled demons of Hinamizawa are said to be buried. Oryo-sama was rather ticked when she learned about that. That was around the time Oishi sent me back to England for boarding school with Daiichi."

"I never knew he had a son," he said, handing the article back to Akira.

"No, not a whole lot of people did," he said with a sort of tired, worn-out smile, "Oishi never liked talking about him after his death. He was a good man though."

Keiichi just nodded in absent agreement, eager to get this over with so he could get out in time to find a proper outfit for the festival before the shops closed. He waited keenly for him to begin admonishing him about his paper.

"Well Keiichi, I must say I found your essay rather interesting. You got top marks," he said suddenly.

"What? I thought you said it was God-awful."

"Oh that," he said with a mischievous grin, "I was actually just trying to scare you. Sorry about my behavior in class today by the way. It is my experience that when dealing with children you must establish early on that you do not tolerate silliness in class, hence my attitude."

"Don't you think you overdid it a bit? You made Kento cry."

"No, I actually do hate that little brat," he said bluntly, "But I guess you're right, I did overdo it a bit."

"If you liked my paper then why did you call me in here?"

"Are you living with your cousin, Keiichi?" he asked abruptly, "He is staying in your house?"

Keiichi didn't like where this was going. Mion had asked him that same question, believing Ryuu was some kind of homicidal lunatic… why would Akira be asking him the same thing?

"It's alright, he isn't in trouble or anything," he assured when he noticed Keiichi's hesitance, "I'm just curious."

"Why can't you ask me this in class instead of after school?" he demanded, suddenly sounding very riled, "I have things to do!"

"Mind your tone," he reproached with a stern finger.

"But why all the secrecy? Couldn't you ask Ryuu himself?"

"Boy, you best mind your tone with me or tomorrow you'll be peeling chewed gum from the underside of the desks all day long while your friends are out dancing! Now answer the damn question!"

In his mind Keiichi was protesting but he knew he would regret it if he spoke his mind again, so he heaved a deep sigh to slow his racing heart. "Yes," he answered begrudgingly, "though I don't know why it matters."

Akira sighed as he slumped back in his chair with his hands over his eyes, looking overworked and disappointed by his answer.

"Is that bad?" Keiichi inquired.

Akira didn't answer; he just ran his hands through his sleek brown hair. "Keep Mion-san close Keiichi," he finally said in a pensive voice, "Watch out for her- Damn these cicadas! So bloody loud all the damn time!" Mr. Akira spun around in his swivel chair and closed the window and shut the blinds, stifling the cicada's mad buzzing enough so that he could hear his own thoughts again.

"Why should I be watching out for Mion?" he said quickly, "Is she in trouble?"

Akira spun his chair back around again so he was facing him with a solemn and tired look, like he hadn't so much as closed his eyes in days. "I don't know Keiichi," he answered honestly, "Maybe."

"What's going on? How are Mion's safety and Ryuu staying at my place connected?" his voice was becoming increasingly louder as he stood from his seat until the point he was almost shouting at him, "What has Ryuu done?!"

"I'm sorry, I thought you were going to take this more maturely," said Akira with a disenchanted sigh, "I guess I've upset you. Just forget it. I'm sorry for keeping you."

"TELL ME!"

"Do you want detention?" he asked calmly, "You are excused. Now please get out."

"Not until you tell me why Mion is in trouble," he insisted.

"I never said she was."

"You never had to. You know something but you're not telling me!" he reached out and grabbed Akira by the collar, heaving him up so they were both standing, "If Mion is in trouble I have to know!"

"Maebarra! If you do not let go of me in three seconds I will see you expelled for assaulting a teacher!" he roared with a new-found ferocity in his voice that struck fear into Keiichi's heart, causing him to relinquish his grip.

Akira straightened out his shirt collar again while adjusting his crooked glasses with an irritated look, "I will see you next lesson, Maebarra-kun. You're excused."

Keiichi watched as Akira sat back down in his desk and began restacking the papers Keiichi had just scattered everywhere when he grabbed him. He could hardly believe he just did that! He just attacked a teacher! Silently he left the room, feeling ashamed for his outburst but still infuriated with Akira's grating secrecy. Now he was genuinely worried for Mion. It was clear to him now that she wasn't the only who thought she was in mortal peril.

Had he actually let a killer into his home? So many weird things had happened since Ryuu showed up… the way he clawed at his desk that one day, Mion's strange behavior, that power outage that one night when Mion called him that apparently only hit his house. The list went on and on. The most unnerving thing was that one club-meeting where Ryuu had clawed at the window like something straight from a horror movie. The timing between the scratches was much too paced, much too calm… much too unnatural. And the marks that were left on that window looked like they had been carved there by a knife! It was simply impossible for anyone to leave marks like that with just their fingernails. All of these events had been bugging him since they occurred but he hadn't realized how they all pointed to Ryuu until just now.

He exited the school and stepped into the dimly lit world around him and was greeted by the soothing buzz of the cicadas. It had actually started to grow on him; at first their hissing was just annoying if not abnormally eerie but in spite of that whenever he heard them he began feeling much more relaxed.

Rena and Ryuu were by the swing-set and waved at him as he approached. After Rena parted ways with the boys Ryuu informed him of his victory in conquering Rena's heart with a proud smile. As he watched him prance down the road, looking like the happiest guy in the world, any suspicion he had for him was crushed. He couldn't believe someone this happy could be a potential murderer, let alone one who had killed around four-hundred people.

That night things were quiet. Quieter than it had been in a long time… It was the calm before the storm. The world was waiting with baited breath for the horrible events that were about to take place.

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A/N: Bum, bum, bum! Foreshadowing at the ending there. This chapter was more or less a teaser for the next one. Yes, the Kakou-Saishi is next chapter and I have been waiting weeks to finally be able to type that. What will happen next chapter? Will things be all hunky-dory so Keiichi and Mion can finally get together in one of the fluffiest chapters I'll ever have the pleasure to write? Or will something awful happen that will spiral our characters into misfortune like they have never seen before? We shall see.

Leave a review and stuff.


	14. Chapter 13: Take a Deep Breath

**Disclaimer: I don't feel like writing one today.**

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Chapter 13: Take a Deep Breath

Mion was bounding down the corridor leading to the dining hall, her green hair dancing behind the happy seventeen year old girl. She was humming to herself without even realizing it, causing most of her family to look at her in confusion when she walked into the room where her large family sat enjoying their breakfast. The gleeful atmosphere was infectious, striking at every household in Hinamizawa. Ryuu had woken extra early to make pancakes, claiming that he was simply having a craving for pancakes and had woken up at four o'clock in the morning to buy some ingredients from one of the 24 hour stores in Shishibone, not even seeming the least tired for having woken up so early. Rena's father bombarded his daughter with the fluffiest, softest, and most undeniably cute stuffed animals she had ever seen when she came down for breakfast to help get them in the holiday spirit. Even Eric couldn't help but feel oddly pleasant today as he woke up to go on his daily walk just before the sun rose.

Mion sat down with her family as she greeted them all warmly, helping herself to the extravagantly prepared breakfast laid out in front of her.

"You seem happy about something Mion," observed her grandma in her hoarse voice, "Last year you weren't nearly this cheerful."

"I guess I just slept well is all," she said with a contagious smile, "Mmm! This is good! Who made it?"

"I did," stated Kasai with an emotionless expression. He was the only one who didn't look at all touched by the festival's heartwarming magic.

"I didn't know you could cook," laughed Mion.

Kasai only grunted in response and remained standing in the corner of the room, as still as a statue.

Mion looked around the table at her family, all of them conversing happily with one another like families should. It was quite the jump from her old family life where they just sat at the table all proper, never smiling, never laughing, and almost never talking. That was before Keiichi showed up though. He had changed the village a lot more than he realized.

"Huh? Where's Shion?" she inquired, scanning the room for her twin.

"She left. Said she was going to go and celebrate the festival with that Hojo girl," answered her mother.

"Oh…"

Even now, while the rest of the village was teeming with happiness and merriment, evil had already made its first move…

Shion was hiding. Hiding in the bushes outside the Irie clinic with the good doctor's brothers: Ken and Hitoshi. Since Shion was such a frequent visitor of the clinic she knew them both well. She had told her family she was going to go see Satoko and the others but she really had left to see the only person she would be happy with on today of all days: Satoshi. When she had arrived however, she was pulled into the bushes by the two brothers who both hushed her urgently. They explained that some men had shown up last night as the three brothers were closing up and they demanded to see Satoshi. Irie, of course, refused and was able to sneak his younger brothers out before they were caught. He was in there with the men now, and judging by the screams coming from inside the building they could only guess he was being interrogated.

With every shrill shriek Shion flinched while Hitoshi went to great lengths to restrain his teary eyed brother. Ken's desperate cries for his elder brother were muffled by Hitoshi's large hand. They had tried going to the police for help but the place was crawling with heavily armed guards patrolling the area. They could do nothing but wait and see what happened.

A man finally stepped out of the building, one that Shion recognized from the funeral service. His black eye patch and missing arm made him quite hard to forget.

______________________________________________________________________________

Keiichi had finally finished getting dressed as he fastened men's kimono successfully. He smiled at his reflection, admiring how well the kimono looked on him. It was his dad's which made it a bit too big for him but not so much that it was noticeable. It was dark green and the edges of the cloth had an almost silvery looking fabric woven into them.

Ryuu, too, had been forced to sport in one of his uncle's kimonos. Unfortunately for him, Keiichi had called dibs on the only good one which he was now wearing. Ryuu was forced to choose the next best looking one, but that wasn't saying much seeing as the rest of them were all hand made by Ichirou.

Ryuu's looked fine for the most part. It was a dark red color with white fabric sown into the hem of the garment. The only flaw was on the back of the kimono where Keiichi's father had sown in the Maebarra family crest. There were actually many, many Maebarra family crests that his father had designed but in the end he had deemed them all unworthy.

The one Ryuu was wearing had a lion on the back of it, woven into the kimono with white string. At least it was supposed to be a lion, but Ichirou did not excel in the field of sowing as he did in the other areas of art. His slip-shod sowing job made it look more like a deranged flower as opposed to a fierce lion.

"How come I always get the cruddy outfits?" grumbled Ryuu, "Last time we got all dressed up you got to wear the fancy suit and I was stuck with black jeans and a sweater! Where is the justice!?"

"You look fine. Just keep your back to the walls and I'm sure no one will laugh at you," Keiichi snickered.

"Have you no heart? I'll get my ass kicked for wearing _this_," he pointed to the "lion-flower thing" on his back, "on my back!"

"Stop being such a drama-queen. Rena will probably try stealing that from you after she sees how 'cute' it is. Rena likes cute things."

Ryuu couldn't argue with that. But that didn't make him any less worried about what the others were going to think.

______________________________________________________________________________

They wheeled him out, still sleeping on the hospital bed in his comatose state with his arms and legs still chained down tight. Shion squirmed and griped as Hitoshi restrained her, silencing her cries with his hand. The three of them still hid, undetected, in the safety of the bushes where Ken was curled up by the tree looking petrified.

Satoshi looked just like he was sleeping… he didn't even know they were taking him away! She squirmed fruitlessly in Hitoshi's arms, her mind screaming the name of the boy she loved so much, praying he would somehow hear her so she could tell him everything would be alright, that she would come and rescue him.

She just wanted to talk to him… she knew it was impossible to free him now but she just wanted to tell him how much she loved him in case she never saw him again.

She had lost him once before… and it was happening a second time right before her eyes.

Tears rolled down her cheeks and onto Hitoshi's hand that was covering her mouth. He had been silent through the whole thing.

Jack Lanyon returned, dragging a very bloodied Dr. Irie across the ground with his one remaining hand. His glasses were gone, probably laying smashed inside the clinic somewhere. They couldn't see what color his skin was behind the thick layer of crusty blood that seemed to coat every inch of his skin. Shion could tell by the way his legs were bent that the interrogation had gotten very out of hand.

Jack grabbed a fistful of Irie's brown hair and slammed his head into the rocky, dirt road and ground his face against the jagged rocks. Fresh blood streaked across the dirt but he wasn't screaming anymore… he just grunted occasionally as his skin was shredded from his face by the tiny sharp rocks and loose shards of glass littered across the dirt road.

Jack lifted his head up and crouched down so he was eye level to him, smiling at him like he had just had the time of his life. The other men were loading Satoshi into the truck as Jack brought his knee up to the beaten doctor's chin again and again, causing a good amount of teeth to fly out of his mouth.

Finally, the beatings ceased just when the three of them thought they couldn't stand to watch anymore. Hitoshi released Shion, falling on his side looking like a broken man.

"You've been an invaluable help to us doctor," laughed Jack smugly, "Because of that, I won't kill you. But you see, you've put me in a difficult situation Irie. You have to understand I can't let you go off and tell everyone about this. It'd be detrimental to my aspirations. But being the merciful man that I am I will allow you to accompany us. Hell, I'll even let you join my research team as head overseer when we get back."

Irie scowled at him, panting heavily after the brutality he had suffered at this man's hand. "If my arms weren't broken I'd strangle you…" he coughed.

Jack smiled fondly. "Heh. You remind me a lot of that old shit whose job I have now," he snickered, "Defiant until the end."

Irie's head snapped up. "You! You killed him?!"

"More or less," he answered vaguely, "I guess I did have something to do with him falling from my penthouse and splattering on the pavement. But that was because he refused to cooperate with me. Then again… I can already tell you value your life about as much as he did."

Shion, Ken, and Hitoshi felt a fiery hatred boil inside them of the likes that few human beings had ever experienced.

"There's nothing you could offer me that would ever get me to help you!" he roared defiantly, "Not even my own life!"

"Oh?" Jack's one good eye met directly with Shion's, "Then how about your friends over there in the bushes? Is that enough to convince you?"

Irie followed Jack's line of site and could just barely see Shion's electric green hair behind the bushes. His eyes widened in fear and his mouth opened as he told them to run.

The three of them spun around, ready to run for their lives. But Jack had already thought this through. Two men with rifles had been hiding behind the trees the entire time, just waiting to strike on Jack's command. Shion had just put her hand on her taser when she felt something hard thwack her head before she collapsed into unconsciousness.

______________________________________________________________________________

The cicadas cried loudly, sending out a warning- a plea for help to all the blissful villagers who remained unaware of the horrible events happening elsewhere in their village. Everyone was making their way to the festival, which was held at the same place the Watanagashi usually was. Mion was the first to get there, as club leader it was her responsibility to arrive before her fellow members. She was wearing a red kimono, fastened with a thick pink sash tied around her waist. Rena arrived second; wearing a pink kimono garnished with yellow flowers weaved into the design. She looked happier than usual as she walked up the stone steps leading to the bustling festival where vendors were already crying out to people passing by to purchase whatever they were selling or compete for some wonderful prize. Rena greeted her club leader happily, her pace quickening when she saw her standing there. Rika, Hanyuu, and Satoko arrived shortly afterward, laughing with one another at some hilarious joke Satoko had just told.

For once, the two priestesses of Oyashiro were not wearing their typical priestess attires as their formal clothing. Since this festival had little to do with the village's guardian, the two girls were finally allowed to wear a normal kimono like everyone else (this was very refreshing to poor Rika who had to have worn that shrine maiden outfit over a thousand times in her many past lives). Instead, they both were wearing matching purple kimonos that had an almost misty design. The fabric was silky looking and glistened in the setting sun, giving then a radiant and goddess-like appearance.

Satoko, however, wore a much simpler outfit. She wore a simple canary yellow kimono that looked a little too small for her. It was also fastened with a black sash, making her look a bit like a honey bee.

The three younger girls greeted their elders fondly as they all gathered together and awaited the boy's arrival.

"Where's Shion?" inquired Mion to the little blonde girl.

"How should I know? I thought she'd be with you."

"Hm? Didn't she go to your house this morning?"

Satoko shook her head along with the other two girls.

Mion and Rena exchanged worried looks, neither having a clue of her whereabouts. But their worries were banished with the arrival of the two cousins. Ryuu was grumbling something to Keiichi about kimonos, and lions, and… flowers?

"Hey guys," greeted Keiichi, "Sorry we're la-"

_Boomf!_

Keiichi and Ryuu got a mouthful of cotton candy, which Mion and Rena had purchased to discipline the boy's tardiness.

"You're always late to these things Kei-chan!" chortled Mion as Keiichi spat out the enormous wad of cotton candy in his mouth. Ryuu was chewing on it with a happy grin on his face.

"Gah! Mion! You know I hate cotton candy!" he spat, trying to rid his tongue of the overly sweet flavor.

"Blasphemy!" accused Ryuu, swallowing a mouthful of it, "Heresy! Deviation! Sacrilege! How can you hate cotton candy?!"

"It's too damn sweet!" he exclaimed.

"Cotton candy is like having a sugary orgy in your mouth!"

Satoko tugged on Mion's sleeve. "What's an orgy?" she asked.

"Look," fumed Keiichi, "I just don't like it okay! I wasn't expecting some kind of Spanish Inquisition!"

"Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" declared a random passerby wearing a red gown and had a golden crucifix slung around his neck.

"Enough of this silliness!" proclaimed Mion loudly, scaring off the strange, red-garbed man, "Time for the festivities to begin!"

**A/N: I'm sorry, if you've never seen Monty Python's Flying Circus that lass part would have made no sense to you.**

It was the same deal as it was with the Watanagashi. The club would start off competing in all sorts of games for the day's club activities. First off was the spicy food contest.

"No more!" pleaded Keiichi in defeat at the hands of Mion, "My tongue is convulsing!"

He leaped for the bucket of water Mion's uncle had provided for them and poured it down his throat.

"That means Ru-kun is the only one left!" said Rena happily, "Go Ru-kun!"

Ryuu took a seat in front of Mion as her uncle brought out a fresh tray of extremely hot peppers for them to devour.

"You guys are all wimps," he teased, "I've had _way_ worse than this!"

"Oh yeah? We'll see how mighty you are after twenty of these things," chuckled Mion sinisterly.

Ryuu made first grab, devouring two peppers at once. The spicy juices from the pepper leaked onto his tongue, stinging him instantly but he only laughed as his taste-buds screamed in protest. Mion took three in her hand and gobbled them down at once, smiling arrogantly like she had already won.

"This is taking too long," grumbled Ryuu impatiently. He grabbed the whole tray and held it to his lips, tilting it upwards so each pepper slid into his mouth. A whole crowd gathered around him and watched in awe as he jammed his mouth full of them until his cheeks were about to burst.

Spectators began cheering him on while others shook their heads at this sure-to-be disaster. All the same, the whole crowd was chanting, "Chug, chug, chug, chug, chug!"

He began chewing with a tiny smile on his face and swallowed the whole load at once.

It took about three seconds for the pain to kick in.

A single tear leaked from his eye and his face remained frozen as his mouth lit with a fiery pain worse than a thousand flaming rocks of coal on his tongue.

"Ryuu," said Keiichi, "That was probably the dumbest thing you have ever done."

Everyone erupted in applause for Ryuu's daring, yet incredibly stupid, feat.

"Did I win?" he asked, his face contorted with pain.

"I could keep going but I guess I'll give it to you," laughed Mion, "You should go get some water."

Ryuu nodded his head in agreement; his face still frozen from the excruciating pain in his mouth as Mion's uncle retrieved a fresh pail of water which Ryuu inhaled down his throat instantly.

Ryuu had to take a little break after that one match, his tongue still recovering from the peppers' acidic juices. He just stood back and watched the others play all sorts of games.

Soon, the sun set around them and the vibrant paper lanterns strung on the wires zigzagging from booth to booth were lit, casting a colorful and lively glow around them. The announcement came for dinner to begin and the crowd shifted from the game booths over to a long stretch of tables were several chefs stood unveiling the food they had prepared. Keiichi got a big plate of rice cakes, a few hamburger patties, and some hot-and-sour soup (he skipped over the ohagi, feeling an aching pain on his tongue whenever he looked at them). They all gathered by a large oak tree to eat their meal.

"L-I-O-N," spelt Ryuu, "It is a lion. Not a flower! Blame my uncle for the design."

"I think it's cute!" cooed Rena.

"You hear that Ryuu-san? She thinks your flower- I mean, lion- is very _cute,_" chortled Satoko.

"It is a lion!" he protested.

Keiichi got up and excused himself quietly.

"Huh? Where you going Kei-chan?" asked Mion as he began walking away.

"Bathroom, I'll be back in a sec!" he said.

That was of course a lie. He had actually left in search for a present for Mion. He looked at a lot of the vending booths and almost bought her a cheap plastic ring but he thought that was laughable so he turned it down. He saw a lot of jewelry in his search but all the good ones were way out of his price range. He could've gotten a cheap golden ring with his money but he thought it looked too much like a wedding ring so he shot down that option immediately.

Eventually, he came to a very exotic looking game booth with all sorts of flashy looking prizes that drew in a large number of spectators and contestants. There was a large assortment of candies for the smaller prizes; a pet fish for a bigger prize. But it was the major prizes that caught his eye. There were several caged and tropical looking birds, each with vibrantly colored feathers that outshone even the moon above. And for the grand prize: a glistening silver necklace with a single shining red ruby, shimmering proudly for all to see. The vendor was clearly a foreigner- there was no way these things came from Japan.

"Excuse me," said Keiichi, his eyes glued to the necklace, "Is that necklace real?"

The game master glanced at the ruby necklace in question and smiled, showing his many false golden teeth. "Yes sir," he said proudly, "I won that from a friend of mine a year ago. I had no use for it so I thought I'd put it up as a prize."

"Why not sell it?" inquired Keiichi.

"That necklace is too special to be put for display in some ol' jeweler shop," he answered in a very friendly voice, "If it was then it could just go to anybody with enough money to buy it. This way it'll go to the person who really deserves it. And that person could be you my good man!"

"I don't really follow but I'm not gonna argue," he said, "What do I have to do to get it?"

"Simple," he smiled as he pulled out three rice bowls and a small golden ball that fit in the palm of his hand, "I put the ball under one of these bowls, I shuffle it, and then you just pick the bowl you think it's under. Any old fool could do it!"

Keiichi had heard of this kind of game before and knew most of the game masters who did it were usually conmen. But still… Mion would look really good in that necklace.

"Fine. How much for a game?"

"700 yen," he answered, his golden teeth glinting in the colorful paper lanterns lighting up the festival, "And I might mention that if you do want that necklace then you'll have to win three times."

Keiichi grumbled at the ridiculous price but gave him the seven 100 yen coins all the same. He snatched them greedily and pocketed them before slamming one of the rice bowls on the little gold ball and shuffled them with surprising dexterity. Judging by how rapidly the bowls were moving around in their complicated patterns, Keiichi could tell he did this a lot.

He stopped shuffling suddenly. "All right, just pick one and you might get lucky," he chortled.

Keiichi had no idea! His eyes flickered from bowl to bowl, wishing he had some kind of x-ray vision so he could just see where the golden ball was hidden. But alas, no matter how hard he stared the bowls remained quite solid, forcing Keiichi to do some guessing.

He flipped over the bowl on the left and was surprised to see the golden ball underneath.

"Ho, ho!" laughed the game master heartily, "Well done! If you want you can quit while you're ahead and choose one of the smaller prizes."

"Nah, shuffle them again. I'm going for three wins," said Keiichi with newfound confidence.

The game master smirked as he shuffled the bowls again- faster this time if that were possible. Keiichi's eyes hurt from following the bowls so much.

"All right, let's see if your luck holds out, my good man! Pick a bowl!"

Keiichi chose immediately this time, flipping over the middle bowl with his heart pounding in his chest. His heart did a summersault when he saw the golden ball shimmering in the paper lanterns' light. That was two wins out of three! He might actually do it

The game master's friendly face faltered as he stared at him with disbelief.

"W-well done sir," he stammered, sounding nervous, "How about a nice bird instead of that ol' necklace eh? That things starting to uh… rust anyway. Do you think your girlfriend would like a bird instead?"

"No, I think the necklace would be the best choice," he answered, "I'm guessing those things aren't very clean."

"Very well _sir_," he said bitterly as he shuffled the bowls again, this time without his lightning fast enthusiasm. Keiichi was fully confident he knew where the ball was this time. It was in the middle again, he had watched very closely this time.

"Awwww," said the game master with refreshed fervor, "Guess you lucked out there kid."

The ball wasn't there. His spirits deflated when he saw all his good guessing go to waste. He was so looking forward to getting her that necklace…

"You could always play again for another 700 yen if you're feeling brave," he tempted, "Or you could just- GAH! Cicada! I hate cicadas! Get it away!"

Keiichi blinked at his sudden gear change in mood when he heard a buzzing noise by his ear and he waved his hand at the large Higurashi that was hovering by his head.

The game master recoiled as it buzzed over to him. "Shoo!" he bellowed, "Shoo! Shoo!"

He waved his arms madly, swatting away at the cicada but missing each time as it circled out of the way with each swipe. Suddenly, something shiny fell from the game master's sleeve. Something round, golden, and shiny. Keiichi held out his hand and caught it while the game master continued flinging his hands around in an attempt to crush the bug.

"It was in your sleeve?" Keiichi snarled, "You cheated me!"

The man forgot the bug upon hearing his accusation. His eyes widened when he saw the gold ball in his hand.

"N-n-no! No I didn't!" he sputtered as the cicada zipped away, "That one's a spare I keep in my sleeve incase I lose the other one."

"What other one?" Keiichi said as he flipped over each of the bowls, none of which contained the golden ball, "I wonder how many people you cheated with that trick of yours."

"Well you weren't supposed to actually go for the necklace!" he barked, forgetting his friendly demeanor, "Most people don't after two good rounds! The necklace is just there for… for decoration. A way to lure customers in. I'm not actually giving it away!"

"Like hell you aren't!" spat Keiichi furiously, "I could very well have won that from you if you were playing fair!"

"Here, how about this… I'll let you have two birds and all the candy in my shelves if you just forget the necklace. That sound good?"

"He said he wanted the necklace," said a familiarly cold and detached voice from behind Keiichi.

Mr. Akira stepped forward, glowering at the con man posing as an honest game master. "You bring that necklace down for this boy. I'll be timing you," he pulled up his sleeve and looked down at his brass watch, "5… 4…"

"Hey pal who the hell—"

"3…!"

"All right, all right!" he fumed, "I'm getting it!"

Reluctantly, he pulled a step ladder from under the counter and removed the necklace from the top rack. He held it out to Keiichi but had a hard time letting go of it.

"You can have the whole thing if you want! All my birds and all my candy! You can even have the stand!" he offered as Keiichi was struggling to take the necklace from his outstretched hand.

"What am I going to do with ten friggin' parrots?! Let go damnit!"

Keiichi ripped it from his hands victoriously, sending the man stumbling back onto his rear.

"I think it'd be wise for you to go home now sir," advised Akira in a threatening voice, "People in your particular line of work are not welcome here."

The man stood up and brushed the dirt from his clothes. "Yeah whatever," he said snidely, "I'll leave. Just go away so I can take down my stand."

"Fair enough. Come one Maebarra-kun," said Akira as he turned his back on the pathetic conman and motioned Keiichi to follow him.

"Thanks for that Akira-sensei," said Keiichi gratefully, examining the prized ruby necklace he held in his hands with pride, "If it weren't for you I think I would've ended up giving Mii-chan one of those nasty birds rather than this."

"Don't mention it. It was my pleasure," he said with a tiny smile, "So you're here with Mion-san are you?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I can see I won't have to worry about you not keeping an eye on her Keiichi-kun," he laughed, "She's going to love that necklace."

"She better, after all the trouble I went through to get it," he said lightheartedly, "Sorry about yesterday by the way. I kind of lost my temper…"

"Hm? Oh yeah. I actually kind of forgot about your little tantrum in my office yesterday. It wasn't a problem though," he assured.

"Thanks, that makes me feel loads better," Keiichi said as they approached the small field where everyone had gone to consume their meals. He saw Mion and the others sitting in a circle by the oak three, everyone listening intently to a joke Mion was telling.

"Well I wouldn't want to cramp your style Keiichi so I'll leave you here," said Akira, "See you tomorrow at school. And don't forget your essay on Caesar!"

"Don't worry. I already did it. Oh! By the way, who are you here with Akira-sensei?" inquired Keiichi.

As if on cue, Miss Chie appeared at Akira's side from out of nowhere. "There you are Akira-chan! I've been looking everywhere for you!" she cooed affectionately, wrapping her arm around his.

Keiichi forced himself to cough in order to hide the fit of laughter welling up in his stomach. Akira shot him a knowing glance. "I'll see you then, Maebarra-kun," he said finally as he departed with Miss Chie.

Keiichi joined his friends by the great oak tree, the necklace still hidden behind his back.

"It's supposed to a friggin' lion," Ryuu was saying as Keiichi approached, "A lion. Not a flower- Stop laughing Satoko! Ah, Keiichi. Back from the bathroom at last I see."

"I got distracted," he said, glancing at Mion for a moment and smiling softly at her as he sat down with the group while he quickly stowed the necklace away in his kimono for later.

After they all had their fill, the club decided to head back to the stands to play a few more games before the dancing began. Keiichi pulled Mion aside while the rest of the gang bounded excitedly for the many game and prizes awaiting them.

He stopped her by taking her hand in his. "Hey, can I talk to you in private for a second?" he asked her, trying his best to remain calm.

Mion's stomach gave a sudden lurch and she instinctively squeezed his hand softly. "S-sure," she said, turning her head away from the paper lanterns to conceal her blush.

"Cool. I want to show you something," he said, "Come on."

He kept his hand around hers as he led her away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds and of the festival. Her mind was racing with an assortment of questions as he tugged her along towards the forest. Gradually, the festive noise from the crowds behind them began to die down as they approached the thick barrier of trees. The colorful light from the paper lanterns was replaced by the light of the twinkling stars and the dazzling full moon above them, casting a luminous glow on the two teenagers.

Just as they penetrated the forest, Mion felt herself being swooped up into the air in his strong arms and she couldn't help but let out an affectionate giggle when she felt herself being cradled in his arms.

"What are you doing?" she said, not angrily but still sounding a bit flustered.

"We're about to go down a hill and your kimono looks like it would be easy to trip in so I thought I'd carry you," he explained, "You don't mind do you?"

"N-no! You're right! An old geezer like me would never be able to walk down a hill like this!" she said while giving him a small wink, "You're such a good young lad." Keiichi shot her a warm smile as he began carefully treading down the steep hill with Mion held safely in his arms.

"You better put your arm around me," he suggested in an awkward voice, "I-in case… something happens."

She looked a bit staggered by his request but all the same she happily enveloped her arms around his neck, bringing her face a bit closer to his so that her ear was pressed directly on his firm chest. She could hear the quickening pace of his heart as they neared the bottom of the hill.

"I-I never thanked you for helping me get home after I hurt my ankle…" she said softly, "A lot happened that day so…"

"It was no problem," he comforted, "I strong guy like me could carry you all around the world without breaking a sweat." All though he would admit, it was much more difficult going downhill with her. Her weight was starting to throw him off balance.

"Well," she snuggled her face into his chest affectionately, "thanks anyway."

Finally they reached the bottom of the hill which also marked the edge of the woods. They emerged from their tree infested surroundings and stepped into a place that Mion had never seen before. She gasped when she saw the beautiful lake in front of her, reflecting the stars winking down at them so that she could see each one clearly. They seemed somehow brighter in the lake's calm reflection, making it difficult to tear her gaze from it. The lake was surrounded by a plush, grassy ring of land they were standing on now which was circled by the forest they just emerged from. It looked so secluded and private. She wondered if anyone else had ever found this place before.

"Kei-chan… how did you…"

"Ryuu told me about it," he cut her off, "He said he used to come here to be alone. He showed it to me to help me deal with Oishi's death. He said he was the only one who ever knew about it and he told me not to show anyone so you can't bring anyone else here. Promise?"

Mion was completely speechless but she was able to nod as her grip around Keiichi's shoulders tightened. "Thanks for showing me," she said in a soft whisper.

"Sure. But this isn't what I wanted to show you," he said as he stood her up and stepped a few feet back, "I have a present for you. Close your eyes."

"Don't be stupid. Just show me," she stipulated playfully.

"Eyes shut," he said again, "Or I'll give it to someone else."

Mion groaned, trying to hide the excitement bubbling in her gut. "Fine. Just hurry up okay!" She shut her eyes and covered them with her hands, waiting with baited breath for whatever Keiichi had gotten for her. She heard a metallic clinging sound, like a very small chain, and she heard the sound of Keiichi's footsteps on the plush grass as they sounded off behind her. She could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck, tickling her skin and causing her to shudder involuntarily. What happened next she would have never expected. She felt something metal hanging loosely around her neck and she tried to peek through the gaps in her fingers to see what it was but couldn't get a good view of it.

"Can I look now?" she said impatiently.

"Go ahead," he laughed dotingly.

She opened her eyes and looked down upon the silver necklace around her throat. She gasped when she saw the red ruby gleaming up at her in the moon's luminous light. Keiichi's hands were still keeping the necklace to her throat as she placed a finger on the ruby and saw it was about the size of her thumb.

"Keiichi!" she exclaimed, "W-wow!"

"Do you like it?"

Words failed her as she tried to express her gratitude and her amazement. Of course she liked it! What girl wouldn't? All she could do was finger the ruby and stand there with her mouth hanging agape.

"How did you afford this?" she said finally, "This had to have cost you your inheritance!"

"I got lucky," was all he said, "So do you like it?"

"I love it!" she exclaimed, "Thank you so much!"

If Keiichi weren't holding up the necklace right now he would have grabbed her from behind and pulled her into a loving embrace.

"Here, let me get it on for you." He took the two ends of the silver necklace and began trying to clip them together but it proved difficult with nothing but the stars and moon for light.

"Hang on. You're hair keeps getting in the way," he mumbled distractedly as he gently guided Mion's ponytail so it was slung over her left shoulder. He got a little closer so he could see better, bringing his face so close to her neck that his nose was almost touching her soft and tempting skin. The clip was proving to be more trouble than it's worth in this dark lighting, forcing him to bring his face closer so he could see better. He was so distracted with what he was doing that he didn't notice his lips brush the back of her neck briefly, causing her to quiver at his touch. Finally the necklace clipped and he was stood upright to observe his handiwork.

"Got it," he said, his hands still resting on her trembling shoulders. He pulled her back towards him so that her back was pressed against his stomach and her head was directly under his chin. He looked down at her and smiled warmly as she brought her hands up to her shoulders, wrapping her fingers around his wrists. She looked up at his handsome face and she felt her heart beat softly in her chest when she saw his tender smile.

"Keiichi…" she whispered his name lovingly, "Thank you… for everything."

"You don't owe me any thanks Mii-chan," he said playfully, "Without you as my club leader I'm nothing. I probably wouldn't be alive without you."

"Neither would any of us without you," she replied, "I don't think you realize how much this village is indebted to you. Or how much I'm indebted to you…"

"What? I haven't done anything."

"That's because you don't know what things were like before you moved here," she said in a sad voice, hanging her head with a frown, "Every day was so long and boring. I wanted to get away from the village so bad and I probably would've run away if I didn't believe in the curse back then."

"What about the club? You had the club before I moved here."

"Yeah but it wasn't as fun. Rena and Satoshi were the only one's my age and Satoshi disappeared a little bit after we started it. Don't get me wrong. I liked Rika and Satoko well enough but I still wanted to be able talk with somebody my age other than just Rena. That's why I was so excited when you moved here…"

She looked back up at him, smiling at the worried face looking down at her.

"You became my best friend the very day I met you…" she continued, "The school became so much happier when you showed up and the village had something to talk about again. I'm sure the villagers got a kick out of seeing you go home every day in one of our little _outfits_. You made Satoko feel like she had her Nii-nii back. You helped Shion show her face a bit more often and Rena always talks about you helping her pull crap out of the old construction site. And after my family saw how you and your family were like… things started getting more relaxed back home. You've done so much for everyone without even realizing it."

There was a short pause before Keiichi said, "What did I do for you Mion?"

She turned around so that she was facing him directly, Keiichi's hands still holding her tense shoulders and her arms still crisscrossing her chest and reaching up to his hands. "What do you think you did for me?" she asked vaguely, giving him a loving smile and looking at him with her beautiful turquoise eyes that were reflecting the stars above.

As if in response to her question, he pulled slowly towards him and kissed her passionately on the lips. Her eyes widened in astonishment as she processed what was happening. She felt his lips press against hers and felt his strong arms wrap around her shoulders as she let her eyelids fall like a curtain. She returned his embrace and pulled herself even closer to him so that they could feel the other's heartbeat against their own chests. But the kiss ended as quickly as it had begun. Keiichi broke off and stepped back, looking ashamed by his bold move.

"I'm sorry," he said suddenly, "I-I-"

Keiichi was cut off by the sound of violins and other soft sounding instruments playing together in a symphony. The sound was coming from back up the hill where the festival was taking place. He turned his head to the source of the music and looked to Mion. She was hugging herself tightly looking… disappointed?

"I guess it's time for the dancing," he said after a short silence between the two, "Should we get going then?"

Mion didn't answer.

"I'll race you," he offered, trying to bring back a less intimate and less awkward mood for her sake, "Come on. First one up the hill wins."

He turned to run up the hill but was stopped by someone holding his hand tightly. He turned and saw Mion with a pleading look on her face.

"We don't have to go back up there…" she said, barely above a whisper, "We could stay down here… for a little longer." She looked uncharacteristically timid all the sudden, not at all like her usual boyish self.

"Don't you want to go dance with everyone else?"

She shook her head and cautiously moved closer to Keiichi, her glowing blush almost matching the color of the ruby hanging on her new necklace.

"No. I want to dance with you…" she whispered. This time, she brought her lips up to his for another loving kiss. Her soft lips mixed with his as she squeezed his hand while resting her other hand on his chest. Keiichi's surprise melted away within minutes as he returned the kiss, this time with more passion and fervor than before. He entangled his muscular arms around her waist and pulled her into him so tightly that even their stomachs were touching. Mion ran her hand up and down the length of Keiichi's muscular arm tenderly, appreciating the firm bulges in his arm. Their tongues mingled with one another, exploring the other's mouth while twisting around curiously. The kiss lasted for what felt like an eternity. An eternity where nothing went wrong and there was nothing but Mion and Keiichi.

The chorus of violins playing for the dancing couples back at festival intensified with their kiss so that their lips were dancing with the music. They finally broke off slowly, drawing their heads back only far enough so that their noses were touching. "Do you want to dance with me?" Keiichi asked in a whisper.

Mion smiled and gave him one more peck on the lips. "If you can keep up," she said playfully. Keiichi took his hand in hers and held it at his side while he slipped his other hand on her waist as she placed her hand on his shoulder gingerly. Neither of them could ballroom dance very well but they didn't care. They simply swayed side to side while staring into the eyes of the person they loved so much. Mion rested her head on his shoulder as they danced together in harmony and they both said the one thing that had been on their minds for so long.

"I love you… so much," they declared in unison.

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They returned from the lake after they heard the music stop and Keiichi once again carried her up the hill which wasn't the smartest of things to do because he was immediately greeted by all his friends back on top of the hill. Mion's family was also present, the big hulking man known as Kasai was among them.

Even though he couldn't see Kasai's eyes he could feel his murderous stare burn into his skull.

Akane squealed girlishly, applauding her daughter as she bounced up and down energetically. "They look just like a married couple!" she fussed, "Kasai! Fetch the camera!"

"Hauu~! Kei-chan and Mii-chan are soooo cute!" cooed Rena happily, "We were wondering where you guys were. You didn't do anything perverted did you?"

"Gah! N-no of course not!" they objected in unison.

"They're lying," said Ryuu, wearing a smug smile, "See how red their faces are getting? They're hiding something!"

"Shut up!" retorted Keiichi.

The friends parted ways after that. Mion had volunteered to help carry a sleeping Satoko, Rika, and Hanyuu home in Shion's absence. He volunteered to help her but Kasai had already rushed Akane, Mion, and Oryo out of the festival grounds, glaring at Keiichi warily. So that just left Ryuu, Rena, and a lighthearted Keiichi to walk home together.

Apparently, nothing had happened between his cousin and Rena because they talked quite casually on the way home and parted as they normally would without a hint of intimacy.

"No luck huh?" teased Keiichi as they continued the walk home.

"Shut up…"

When they got home Ryuu went straight to bed, wrenching off his kimono sluggishly and tossing it on the kitchen table.

"At least hang it back in my dad's closet!" objected Keiichi. His cousin, however, just stepped through the threshold of his bedroom and shut the door behind him.

_Ring, ring, ring_ went the phone suddenly. Keiichi checked the time. "Who's calling at 11:40 pm?" he grumbled as he took the phone off the hook and held it to his ear, "Maebarra residence, Keiichi speaking."

_"Hello figlio mio! Saluti da Venezia!" _said a familiar voice in rich sounding Italian.

"Dad? Dad is that you?"

_"Si!"_ he replied.

"Dad, stop speaking Italian! I can't understand you!"

_"Questo è il vostro fottutamente perdita!"_ he laughed heartily.

_"Dear, please. Just say hello,_" said his mother's voice in the background.

"_Fine, fine. You're no fun," _grumbled his dad, sounding disheartened, "_Hey Keiichi. Just calling to check up on you. Everything going okay?"_

"Yeah, a lot's happened since you guys left," sighed Keiichi as he took a seat at the kitchen table, "I'll explain when you get back. How have you guys been?"

"_Ah,"_ his dad said in an Italian accent, "_Venice is molto bella! I think we'll be buying a vacation home here someday. You can bring your friends during golden week even!"_

"We don't have the money for that," pointed out Keiichi.

"_We do now. I just made enough money to send you through college ten times! Some French guy bought all my paintings! All of them! For like nine million yen each! I may never have to work again!"_

"Seriously?"

"_Si,"_ he said energetically,_ "Pretty awesome huh?"_

"I'll say. Oh, by the way dad. When were you planning on telling me I have a cousin?"

"_Come again?"_

"You know what I'm talking about! Ryuu! You know; your brother's son. He came to town after you guys left and now he's staying with us."

There was a short pause.

"_Keiichi-"_

"Come to think of it, you never told me about your brother either."

"_Keiichi-"_

"I mean, Ryuu told me you and your brother never really got along but why didn't you tell me about him?"

"_Keiichi… what are you talking about?"_ his father's usual carefree voice had all but evaporated.

"Oh. I'm guessing he never told you he had a kid did he?"

"_No Keiichi… I was an only child. I never had a brother,"_ Keiichi's heart stopped momentarily as his body went rigid with fear as the cicadas began their daily shrieking,_ "Who have you let into the house!?"_

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	15. Chapter 14: Milk it for all it's Worth

**Disclaimer: I don't own Higurashi. There! Short sweet and to the point!**

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Chapter 14: Milk it for all it's Worth

**Night of the Festival; 11:48 pm; Mr. Akira's Office**

Eric sat alone in his office late at night, staring sadly at the photograph of his old mentor in a newspaper clipping hanging above the office door. He kept it there for motivational purposes, to remind him what he was fighting for. As he stared at the black and white photograph he found himself drifting off to his memories again.

"What did he want dad?" Daiichi had asked after Jack stormed out of his office looking flustered.

Oishi reclined in his chair, looking troubled. "He was trying to bribe me," he answered with an uneasy sigh, "He wanted me to 'overlook' some construction he was thinking of doing here."

"What construction?" inquired Eric to the worn out looking detective.

"Some dam he wants to build over the Sacred Grounds but I told him that old Sonozaki hag would never sell him the land. Oddly enough though, he said he already had the rights to begin construction there but I hadn't heard anything of it," he scratched his mustache thoughtfully; "I can already tell he's up to no good."

"That's to be expected with Jack," said Eric crossly.

"You know him?"

"Yeah," he fumed, "He showed up at our military outpost one day and things started going to hell after that. He turned us into an archaeologist group, sending us all over Japan to guard his research team."

"That's odd," commented Oishi.

"You're not going to let him build his dam are you?" said Daiichi suddenly, looking very disturbed by something, "You can't let him!"

"I'm not. Don't worry about that. The village would be drowned if he built that dam. There's no way what he wants to do can be legal."

This didn't seem to comfort Daiichi much as he turned his back on the two of them. "He'll find another way," he said with bleak certainty, "The law never stopped him before…"

The sudden shriek of the cicadas woke him from his daydreaming, tearing him away from his fond memories where Oishi and Daiichi still lived. He blinked a few times before stepping out of his office and moving briskly down the hall with his briefcase in his hand. He had gotten what he came for: the PDTM. There were a few things on there he thought an old friend could help him translate.

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**The next day**

The Maebarra parents were flying home now from Venice, sitting in the cushioned seats of the airplane while twiddling their thumbs and jittering nervously. They were going home to see their son- both their sons actually.

"When were you planning on telling me…" Keiichi had said slowly, his voice trembling with excitement and a hint of fury, "that I was a twin?"

_"We didn't want to bring it up!"_ argued father, _"We thought we'd never see him again so we thought_ _'What's the point?' We didn't want to upset you!"_

"I'm upset _now_!" barked Keiichi, "What happened? How come I'm just now learning I have a brother?"

His father began to argue but then let out a tired and defeated sigh, realizing it was pointless to argue his actions any further. _"Go wake him and put us on speaker phone… he'll want to hear this."_

"You mean he doesn't know either?!" he screamed.

_"Just do it!" _his dad ordered, sounding angry for the first time in months.

Keiichi grumbled as he put down the phone and made his way to his cousin's—or more truthfully—his brother's room. He put his hand on the door handle but retracted as if the handle were hot iron. It felt weird going to see someone he had just met under the impression he was his cousin and having to tell that person they actually came from the same parents. How would Ryuu take the news? Should he even bother telling him?

Sure, Keiichi felt excited to learn he had a brother, the way he imagined he'd feel if his dad announced his mom was going in to labor and they had to rush to the hospital. But still… he felt a little scared of telling him. It could change their friendship permanently. Hesitantly, he slid open the door and peered into the dark room where Ryuu lay snoring lazily on his bed. Keiichi approached his newly discovered brother and prodded him nervously. Ryuu blinked and sat up in the blink of an eye, his head shooting from side to side to locate the disturbance.

"Oh sweet Jesus!" he gasped when he saw Keiichi looming over his bedside, "What the hell are you doing?! You almost made me wet myself!"

"Sorry," said Keiichi awkwardly to his brother, "Mom and dad are on the phone."

"Mom and dad? Oh… you mean my aunt and uncle. I guess they want to talk to me huh?"

"No. Your mother and father want to talk to you," Keiichi corrected, "Come on."

Ryuu didn't move, he just sat their glowering at Keiichi. "That's not funny dude. You know my parents are dead." He actually sounded a little scared, like a part of him believed his parents' ghosts were in the kitchen waiting for him. "Go away," he demanded as he rolled back over on his side.

Keiichi threw off the covers forcefully and yanked his brother from the bed. Ryuu however, was not in the mood for play. He grabbed Keiichi by the shoulders vigorously and threw him on the ground in a flash.

"Wait! Ryuu! Let them explain!" Keiichi pleaded as he struggled to stand again, the wind having been knocked from his lungs, "It's complicated. You're my_- oomf!"_

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" he said again in a manically angry voice, bringing his foot to his stomach vehemently, "MY PARENTS WERE MURDERED! I KI--!" He cut himself off quickly, realizing the word that he was about to let tumble from his mouth.

"Ryuu! Listen to me!" begged Keiichi as he gasped for the much needed air that had been kicked out of his gut, "My parents… are your parents… We're brothers!"

Ryuu staggered back at his claim, his manic and violent looking face vanishing. "W-what?" he spluttered.

Keiichi supported himself on Ryuu's desk as he stood up, holding his hand over his bruising stomach. "Yeah… God you have a really good kick…" he laughed as his face cringed under the aching pain in his gut, "…Go ask them yourself…" He motioned to the kitchen with his thumb.

Ryuu gazed down the hall leading to the kitchen, looking flabbergasted. He glowered at his alleged brother intently, scanning his face for any hint of tomfoolery or deceit. "I swear if this is some kind of joke…" he warned, his voice still sounding a little excited, "…Are they really on the phone?"

Keiichi nodded, unable to hide his smile from his twin brother.

Ryuu slowly walked down the hall and into the kitchen, looking at the phone warily.

"They're on speaker," informed Keiichi, "Just say 'hi'."

Ryuu shot his brother a helpless look, not sure of what to say the two parents who he was just now meeting for the first time in his life. "M-mom? Dad?" he said nervously, his mouth opening and closing as he tried to make another intelligent sentence.

"_He has your voice Ichirou," _gasped their mother excitedly, "_Hi Ryuu!"_

Ryuu didn't know what to say, his eyes still flickering in Keiichi's direction for assistance.

"So now can you explain what happened?" questioned Keiichi, "How come you put Ryuu up for adoption."

"_We didn't have the money to raise the both of you…" _said his father sadly, "_An artist's career is never very glamorous at the start."_

"So… you had to choose between the two of us?" Ryuu queried.

It took a while for their parents to respond, it was clear they were trying to come up with some explanation as to why they chose Keiichi over him.

"_You have no idea how hard it was for your father to pick between the two of you,_" said their mother, _"But we barely had enough money to support just one of you. It broke your father's heart to give you up Ryuu…"_

Ryuu didn't look angry but he still felt a twinge of envy that they had decided to take Keiichi instead of him. Was there something about Keiichi that even at birth would have made him the better choice?

"_Son,"_ Ichirou said to the child he had to give up so many years ago, "_Please understand. The minute I saw the two of you I loved you both with all my heart… That's why I had to give you up… Please believe me…"_

He didn't respond immediately. He pulled up a kitchen chair and sat in it thoughtfully, trying to take in all that was happening.

"Then who where those people who adopted me? They weren't your relatives?"

"_No," _his father answered, _"Some man from social services volunteered to place you in a home for us. He promised us he would take you to the best home possible. Eventually we found out he took you here, to Hinamizawa, and that's when I decided we'd move here. But even after I discovered you were gone I chose to move to Hinamizawa anyway. I just loved it there so much and I had hoped to ask around the village some more to find out where you had gone. No one seemed to want to talk about it though… Where did you go?"_

That was a question Keiichi had been wondering himself.

"How come he didn't tell you where he took me in the first place?" questioned Ryuu, "That didn't seem odd to you?"

"_The man died shortly after he took you to your new home," _explained his mother, "_Unfortunately the paperwork wasn't fully completed before his death so there was no record of where they took you."_

Ryuu heaved a tired sigh and submerged himself deep in thought.

"_We understand if you're both mad at us. We never told you, Keiichi, because we didn't want to get your hopes up in case we never found him."_

"I'm not mad," laughed Ryuu before his brother could speak, "I'm happier than I've been in my entire life. I thought my parents were dead but they're alive again! This is just so much for me to take in at once."

"I'm not mad either," said Keiichi, "Now that you explained it to us I can understand why you never told me anything."

His parents sighed in relief over the phone. "_We're going to be leaving tonight,_" declared his mother, "_We have to see our baby boys!_"

"_That's right," _agreed his father with new-found energy, his spunky attitude fully recharged, "_We'll be home by tomorrow evening so clean up the house for us before we get back."_

The two brothers looked around the grimy kitchen and shivered at the harsh labor that lay before them. They had only cleaned the house once since Ryuu's arrival.

And now Ichirou and his wife Aiko were flying to the airport closest to Hinamizawa. With Ichirou's newly earned money he was able to buy first class tickets and a few souvenirs for his sons.

"I still don't think a switch blade was a good idea for your son, Ichirou," scolded his wife for the umpteenth time.

"Ah, ah, ah. You forget this is a switch blade made in Italy!" his dad said proudly, as if that settled the matter. "And besides," he added with a grin, "I had one when I was his age."

"You did not! I met you're father and he would have never permitted you to run around with a knife like that!"

"Yeah but…" his mischievous smile widened, "Dad never knew about mine."

"So you think it's okay then to buy _your_ son a razor-sharp switch blade? What do you think he's going to be doing with it?"

He shrugged. "Mine always came in handy even in the most unlikely of situations," he sniggered.

"I knew I recognized you two!" said a familiar voice suddenly from a large, burly man standing next to them in the aisle. They turned their attention to him and smiled when they recognized him as Mamoru Akasaka.

"Akasaka-san!" greeted Ichirou fondly, "What are the odds? You're flying in from Venice as well?"

"Yeah. I had to go on a little… business trip and so I decided to bring along the wife and my little Miyuki. They were able to relax while I spent the week working."

"I never knew you had a family Akasaka-san," commented Aiko, "Then again, we never had much time to talk to you. You left in a real hurry after you helped my son and his friends."

"I don't like leaving my family alone," he said with a smirk, "By the way, how are those kids doing? After all they went through I couldn't help but worry about them when I left for home."

"They're made of tougher stuff than we are, Akasaka," laughed Ichirou, "Most of the time they act as though all that horrible stuff never even happened. It's really quite inspiring. Just last night we told our son he was a twin and he recovered from the shock pretty quick."

"Keiichi is a twin? I guess that explains why you have twice the amount of the usual gifts," he said, gesturing to the two large paper bags the parents were holding in their laps.

Suddenly, Akasaka was nearly knocked off his feet by a tiny, cute little brown haired girl screaming, "Daddy! Daddy!" She latched herself to her father's burly legs, smiling up at him with her lively brown eyes.

"Hey pumpkin," laughed Akasaka as he heaved his little girl up in his arms, "Why aren't you with mommy?"

"Mommy fell asleep so I don't have anything to do now. Can you come sit with us now? Pleeaase?"

Ichirou exchanged a grin with his wife, unable to contain their amusement and delight with this girl's awe-inspiring cuteness.

"No honey. I got to go sit with Gilliam-san," he said to his daughter, "Me and him have a lot to talk about. You just go sit with mom and after we get to Hinamizawa I promise to show you around the town."

She held out her tiny finger to her father.

"Pinky promise?" she said in a pouty voice. Her father laughed as he locked his pinky with Miyuki's fondly. "Now go keep an eye on your mother," he said as he stood her up gently, "You know I don't like it when she's all by herself."

Miyuki waved goodbye to her father and briefly glanced at the Maebarras who had been sitting there in silence the entire time. Aiko waved at her sweetly but she just shied away from the two of them without any kind of response.

"She's a shy kid," Mamoru said as he watched Miyuki walk down the aisle to where his wife, Yuki, was sitting with her head drooped on her shoulder, sound asleep.

"She's a cutie," complimented Aiko, "How old is she?"

"She turned eight yesterday," informed Akasaka with a hint of pride in his voice.

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by an announcement over the airplane speakers. "Attention all passengers, please take your seats and fasten your safety belts. We are about to hit some turbulence."

"Oh, best be going then," said Akasaka, "Nice seeing you two."

"Good seeing too Akasaka-san," said Ichirou politely as the muscular man began moving to the back of the plane.

Along the way to his seat something rolled out across the aisle and bumped up against his shoe. It was a small blue spinning top decorated with red streaks running along in a spiral. He picked it up and looked around for the owner.

"Is this yours?" he asked a pretty young American woman holding a young baby boy in her arms.

She looked at him inquisitively but when she saw the small top in his hands she smiled. "Oh yes, thank you," she said appreciatively in English as she took the top from his hands, holding it in front of her infant son and smiled as he clapped his hands gleefully at the sight of his beloved toy, reaching out his tiny arms to grab it.

With that one good deed done he continued down the aisle, waving briefly to his daughter before stepping into the small dimly lit private room in the back of the plane where one other man was seated comfortably in a plush chair, not even bothering to fasten his safety belt as the pilot had instructed. The man's name was Tony Gilliam, a young American man with black untidy hair that hung on his head loosely; a handsome but tired looking face and a pair of glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

"Finally, I don't know how much longer you expected Eric to hold on," he grumbled in his mousy voice, "I put him on a live video feed but you know he has classes to teach today! He should be in his history class right now."

"I ran into some old friends," he said imprecisely, seating himself in the seat right of Tony, "Is he on now?"

"Well I had to cut the feed in case someone came barging in because you took so long to get back," he scorned, "Did you lock the door when you came in?"

"Yes, no one can get in. Put him on," he instructed as he dimmed the lights in the room by adjusting a switch on the arm of his seat.

Tony picked up a remote and flicked on the television that was bolted to the wall in front of them. On the screen came a poor quality video feed of Eric Stride, an old friend of Tony's.

"About damn time," he hissed, "Can you guys see me okay? Oh, hey Akasaka-san."

"Yeah, yeah," mumbled Tony grumpily, "enough with the formalities. You got the pictures the old man sent you?"

"Yeah," he said as he fidgeted his hand off screen and pulled out the PDTM, "Most of it is just some old sketches Jack drew in that old notebook he was always carrying around. There's one picture of some Russian transaction form by the looks of it." He held up the PDTM closely to the screen, showing them the image of the sheet of paper with Russian characters written all over it. "Tony, since you're the language expert I thought you could translate," continued Eric.

Tony sat forward in his seat, his eyes running the lines of the page from behind his round glasses. "Jack's been spending a lot of money on speaker towers. You know, like the ones that would go off during the Second World War to alert everyone of a bombing run," he leaned forward further, scratching his chin thoughtfully, "Didn't you tell us he was making deals with America too?"

"Aren't Russia and America at war right now?" interrupted Akasaka, "Why would he be making deals with both countries?"

Tony didn't answer immediately as he sat back in his seat and kept his eyes on the picture Eric was holding up. "That's old Dyakov's signature at the bottom of the paper," he mumbled quietly to himself.

"Who?" said Akasaka, suddenly feeling very left in the dark.

"He was an old friend of Jack's back when he was at the military camp me, Daiichi, and Tony were stationed at," notified Eric from over the video feed, "Tony had to translate for him but I guess Jack has learned how to speak Russian by himself now. Dyakov's a Soviet military commander and he absolutely hates Americans. He almost shot Tony when heard him speak for the first time."

"If you two aren't Japanese how come you worked for our military?" pried Mamoru.

"Eric did it because he just wanted to get away from England," shrugged Tony distantly, "And they hired me to translate for them after I graduated college. But that's beside the point. The question is: why would Dyakov be doing business with someone who's also trading with the U.S?"

"Yes, that doesn't sound like the Dyakov we know, "pondered Eric, finally lowering the PDTM and revealing his face to them again ,"The only explanation, is that he doesn't know Jack's trading with the Americans."

"That's a smart move though," pointed out Akasaka, "From what I know about America's and Russia's Cold War it's that with all the weapons they're trying to build there's no way they'd let the other nation see any record of whom they've been trading with. He could sell to both of them while making them think he was strictly on their side."

"You think he's selling weapons to them?" asked Tony.

"He's trying to make one," said Eric, "I heard him talking with some American general about a weapon he called _Echo_. He said he needed-"

Suddenly, the screen went black.

"What happened?" said Akasaka with urgency, standing from his seat and turning on the lights again.

"We've been hacked!" exclaimed Tony, "Someone was listening in to the feed!"

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Eric stood at the computer he just recently purchased for his office. The video feed he had been getting had been cut abruptly.

"Hello?" he said into the tiny microphone plugged into his computer while tapping the screen, "Can you guys hear me?"

No response.

"Hello-"

The door burst open and the principal stormed into the room, looking furious. "There you are Akira-sensei!" he barked, "I find you here, goofing off on your computer when you should be teaching your class! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Eric stood up promptly, looking alarmed by the sudden intrusion. "S-sorry!" he yelped, looking startled, "It was something urgent!"

"Just get back to your class before I fire you!" hissed his boss in a hostile tone.

Eric shuffled out of the room immediately after the principal, locking his office door behind him as he straightened out his disheveled hair and tried calming his nerves before he showed himself in the class. He opened the door to a great deal of noise and chattering from his students but when they saw his stern looking face standing at the threshold each student scrambled for their desks and began working diligently on their assignments. He grinned as he relished in the power he had over them.

He moved to the head of the class and sat at his desk, glancing up at the clock and read "2:45", only fifteen minutes before dismissal. Seeing as he had just wasted most of the class period locked up in his office and talking with Tony and Akasaka, he decided to let his students take a break.

"As a school treat, I'll be allowing you to talk amongst yourselves for the remainder of the class," he said in his detached and emotionless voice, "No homework tonight." The class cheered loudly in response and suddenly the noise he had stifled upon entering the room had returned in full force.

"INSIDE VOICES!!" bellowed Mr. Akira over his bustling class, "Especially you Kozumi! If I so much as hear you speak in any register above a whisper I'll thrash you to hell and back again."

The class hushed itself instantly.

"Jeez, he seems to be real pissed about something," groused Keiichi to his brother quietly.

Keiichi and Ryuu had told everyone the news of their newly discovered kinship during lunch period. It took a bit of convincing but in time everyone believed them.

"Maybe it's because Shii-chan is still missing…" whispered Rena, "Mii-chan, are we still going to the clinic after school to look for her?"

"Yeah, she's been going there a lot lately," explained Mion, "And even if she isn't there, I thought The Coach might know something about all this."

"You don't seem very worried Mion-chan," commented Rika, "Aren't you worried for your sister?"

Mion chuckled. "Nah," she negated, "She may not show it but she's a lot tougher than she looks. I'm sure she's fine."

"Yeah… but don't you think she would have at least come home last night?" piped Hanyuu, "That seems pretty strange to me…"

"You don't think she was…" Rena looked around the class to check if anyone was listening in before continuing, "You don't think she was spirited away by the demon, do you?"

No one answered her. Even Ryuu had learned by now that it was best not to talk about demons, Oyashiro, or anything related to them around the orange-haired girl.

After class was over, the group, consisting now of only Keiichi, Satoko, Ryuu, Mion, Rika, Rena, and Hanyuu, rushed to the Irie clinic, following the freshly made tire tracks that were imprinted into the dirt road leading there.

Ryuu began sniffing the air again, causing his brother to groan in irritation at him.

"How many times do I have to tell you!?" he snapped, "Normal people don't sniff in the air like that!"

He ignored him and continued sniffing intently, now with the full attention of his friends. The clinic was just barely visible from behind the trees when he said in an urgent voice: "I smell blood."

He ran ahead of the group with amazing speed.

"H-hey wait for us!" objected Satoko as the group quickened their pace to keep up with him.

Even Keiichi could smell something odd in the air now. Something bitter and sour smelling that wafted through his nostrils and made his eyes water. He exchanged a worried look with Mion as they both recognized the bloody scent in the air. Ryuu stopped abruptly only a few meters away from the clinic's front door. He was the first to notice the dried blood splattered on the dirt road. Mion gasped and reached out for Keiichi's hand, a new found worry for her sister flooding her body.

Ryuu sniffed the air again, letting his nose lead him over to the forest that almost encircled the clinic. He poked his head over a group of bushes and he stared back at his friends looking horror-struck.

Rena approached the bushes warily and yelped when she saw a bloodied figure curled up in the grass. It was a man in a white lab coat that was stained in his blood. On his shoulder was a large bullet wound that was bleeding profusely. Keiichi stepped forward with Mion still holding his hand and they both recoiled at the beaten man.

"Oh my God… Its Irie's brother… Ken," she said in a choked voice, trying to fight back her distressed tears.

"What is it?" said Satoko, who was still standing next to her two younger friends.

"Stay back!" sobbed Mion loudly, her eyes leaking abundantly with tears.

"We need to call for help," Ryuu said to his brother, "His bleeding won't stop anytime soon…"

"What bleeding? What's going on?" inquired Rika urgently.

No one answered her. "I'm going to call the police," said Keiichi as he detached his hand from Mion's with reluctance, "Ryuu, try and slow down the bleeding."

"I should check if he's alive first…" he said as he stepped over the bushes and crouched down Ken, "Yup. There's a pulse."

Keiichi sighed with relief as moved for the clinic's front doors. His nostrils were greeted by the sickening smell of fresh blood wafting up his nose upon opening the door. He recoiled in disgust at the smell, fighting the urge to run away from its source. The inside of the clinic was completely dark except for the lone flashlight lying at his feet, the on switch still on. He took it in his hand and cringed with disgust at the bloody mess that was revealed under the flashlight's glow. He proceeded with caution, his body trembling in fear that some horrible monster would leap out from behind a corner and add his blood to the already gory scene.

_Crunch!_

He jumped back, nearly throwing the flashlight in the air as he felt something crunch under his foot. He raised his foot and shined the light down on a pair of now shattered glasses that Keiichi recognized as Irie's. Fear gripped him suddenly and every nerve in his body was telling him to turn back but he was actually afraid to turn around, afraid that if he did whatever had made this bloody mess would end up staring him in the face.

"Relax…" he breathed deeply, trying to calm his anxious nerves, "There's no one else here. Just get to the phone, call 911, and get out. Phone, police, leave; phone, police, leave." He continued this chant as he cautiously approached the bloody counter, maneuvering the flashlight until he caught site of the phone sitting behind the counter. He moved around the counter, jumping at every moan and creak he heard. Quickly he snatched up the phone and dialed 911.

He heard it ring and it didn't take long for someone to pick up.

"_Hinamizawa police station. Please state your name, your current situation and your location,"_ said a voice he knew belonged to the arrogant patch-eyed man from Oishi's funeral known as Jack Lanyon.

Keiichi didn't know why he did it but upon hearing his voice he hung up the phone. Something about his tone felt… wrong to him. He knew now he couldn't turn to the police for help so he would have to go to the last remaining person with any knowledge in the field of medicine. Quickly, he ran from behind the counter and out the front door, grateful of the sun's warm light against his face and the somehow relaxing coo of the cicadas.

His friends spun around upon hearing his exit. "Did you get a hold of them?" Mion asked directly.

"The line was cut," he lied, "We won't be able to call anyone."

Ryuu groaned in frustration. "Damnit!" he cursed, "I don't know how much longer this guy can hold out."

"Did you see my sister in there?" she pressed, "Or Irie, is he inside?"

"I didn't see either of them. The place is covered with blood," he said grimly, "I found Irie's glasses though. I'm guessing there was a fight."

Mion hung her head hopelessly as she sat down by the front door, burying her face in her knees. He sat down next to her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her close. "It'll be alright," he assured in a loving whisper, "She probably wasn't even here when this happened."

That seemed to add a little light to the end of Mion's tunnel as she perked her head up and rested it on his shoulder.

"What are we going to do with him?" inquired Rena in a serious voice she rarely spoke in, "He'll die if we don't help him!"

"We'll take him to Shion's guardian, Kasai," informed Keiichi, "Since he's her guardian and all he probably knows something about first aid."

"Keiichi, I think this goes a little beyond the category of 'first aid'!" objected his brother, "This is more like 'E.R'."

"I know but it's the best we can do," argued Keiichi as he stood up with Mion, "So unless you have any better ideas get ready to help me carry him. Rena, can you take the girls home?"

"Yes," she answered distantly, "Rika, Satoko, Hanyuu… come on."

They didn't argue but they seemed to have a hard time tearing themselves away from their friends when they seemed so distressed. They still had yet to see Ken's beaten body. Without a word, Rena escorted the younger girls away from the bloody sight before Keiichi, Mion, and Ryuu heaved him up in their arms and moved to the Sonozaki estate as quickly as their legs would carry them.

Keiichi and Ryuu had completely forgotten their parents were supposed to return today.

______________________________________________________________________________

The plane finally landed in Shishibone airport at around 8:00 pm when the sun had fallen and a starless night sky enveloped them. Passengers slowly began emptying out of the plane, stepping down from the small staircase that had been wheeled in front of the plane's exit.

Akasaka began unloading his bags from the luggage racks above their seats and woke his family from their deep rest. Miyuki blinked when he shook her shoulder and looked up at him groggily, her heavy eyelids still only halfway open.

"D-daddy…" she mumbled tiredly, "Are we there?"

"Yeah, we just landed. C'mon, wake your mother and let's get going. I need to go find Tony," he said.

Miyuki rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms on a yawn before turning to the sleeping woman next to her and prodding her lightly. Mamoru left his family to find his colleague, Tony, and spotted his black, untidy hair and round glasses from a distance.

"Hey Tony, what time did you say the cab was going to be here?" he said as he struggled through the condensed mass of people between the two men all shuffling for their bags and their luggage.

"Huh? Do I know you?" said the man he had just called out to nervously.

Now that Akasaka was closer to him, he could see by looking at his face this man wasn't Tony.

"Sorry," he apologized, "You look like a friend of mine. You're even dressed the same way as him."

"Oh, it's fine," he laughed, "No harm done."

"You speak Japanese very well," he said to the American man.

"Well, thank you," he said with a smile, "My wife and I come here often. Speaking of which- Hey Tanya! Over here!" He waved over to his wife, the same woman who he had met earlier with the newborn baby. She fought her way through the crowd of passengers with her son cradled in her arms, the baby teething on his little blue spinning top fondly.

"There you are Graham!" breathed his wife, "Here, could you take junior here? I think he stinks- Oh! It's you!" She beamed at Akasaka, recognizing him from earlier, "Thanks again for earlier."

"It was no trouble, honestly," he said humbly.

"Oh? You two have already met?" questioned the man while taking his baby boy from his wife.

"Yeah, he picked up junior's precious little top off the floor for us," she informed, "But anyway. Graham, I need you to take him to the bathroom and change him quick."

"Fine," he grumbled as his son swiped his father's glasses from his head and put them on upside down, clapping his hands and giggling happily.

"Akasaka!" barked a familiarly squeaky voice from behind him, "Hey! I told you to find me after you woke your family!" Tony emerged from the crowd of passengers, his hair more disheveled than usual and his glasses askew on his nose. "I was- Oh… Hello…" he said to the happy family of three in his midst. His eyes fell upon the man and he did a double take, unable to believe how much they looked alike.

"Hello!" said the man pleasantly, apparently not nearly as flustered as Tony was, "I'm guessing this was the man you were looking for sir?"

Akasaka nodded with a smile, "I'm sure you can see why I mistook you for him."

"Sure can," he affirmed, "But I shouldn't keep you two any longer. I need to go change the kid here. Nice meeting the two of you."

The man smiled at them congenially as he and his son were swallowed up by the crowd, his wife following him closely.

"That was… spooky," shivered Tony uneasily, "It was like looking in a mirror."

"Yeah, but no time for that now. Your driver is probably waiting for us. Got your bags?"

He held up a black suitcase sluggishly in response. "You got yours?"

He glanced back over to his seat and saw his wife and daughter were no longer there, his luggage had gone with them. "I guess Yuki took it with her," he reasoned, "They're probably already outside. Come on."

The mass of passengers in the plane had been somewhat deluded now, leaving only a handful of people left. He saw the Maebarras as they walked down the aisle, Ichirou currently struggling to heave a very heavy looking paper bag. He would have stopped to help them but he didn't want to leave Yuki and his daughter alone for too long so he slid past them and came to the exit.

He stepped out into the brisk, cool night air, descending down the staircase while scanning the runway for his family. As they stepped down from the staircase, Mamoru collided with a very pale looking man with small, black, beady eyes and sent them both falling on their rears.

"Oh! Sorry!" said Akasaka apologetically, "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going—"

The man didn't wait for him to finish his apology; he just shot back up and moved along under the plane's underside with a very jittery walk.

"He sure is in a hurry," observed Tony as he helped him up, "Just like we should be. Find Yuki and Miyuki quick. We need to get going."

Tony followed him as he weaved around the scattered crowd of people, keeping a watchful eye out for his family.

"Are you sure they left the plane already?" Tony queried after five minutes of fruitless searching, "Maybe they're still inside waiting for you."

"My bag wasn't there and neither were they," he argued, starting to sound worried, "Yuki! Miyuki! Where are you?!"

"Come on, let's just go check," he insisted, bobbing his head in the plane's direction where people were still getting off.

Akasaka silently agreed as he began in the plane's direction again.

The next series of events happened so quickly it took a moment for him to process them.

First, he saw the Maebarras waving at him from behind one of the plane's egg-shaped windows. Second, he saw Tony's look-alike, Graham, standing next to his wife and holding his giggling baby boy in his arms while bouncing him up and down with an affectionate smile on the staircase.

And then… that fidgety man he had bumped into earlier emerged from behind the staircase, raising a finger at the family and screaming: "Gilliam!!" He pulled something out from under his jacket, a small black cylinder shaped object with a tiny red button on it. He soon discovered that that tiny cylinder was actually a detonator.

_Boom!_

Finally, a hot gust of wind blew in their faces while a shrill chorus of agonized screams met their ears as a bright orange light blinded them. He could hear the explosion drown out the terrified shrieks of the passengers as the eruption engulfed the airplane and all inside it. Something hard brushed past Akasaka's ear and ripped off a good chunk of flesh before he knocked the real Tony Gilliam to the ground to protect him from the blast. He kept his eyes shut but he could picture what was going on inside his head. He could hear the crackling of the flames ravenously devouring the passengers still on or near the airplane, slowly burning every last bit of flesh remaining on their bones. In his mind, he could see terrified families and friends rush to their loved ones, screaming their names.

He lay there for a moment on top of Tony who was wriggling beneath him before he realized what had just happened.

They were gone… his family was on that plane… and they were gone now. A somehow familiar feeling of loss struck his heart as he stood up and saw, with his own eyes, the burning figures of those still living and those now dead. Some were rolling across the ground with the old "Stop, drop and roll" technique in mind. But the flames had already consumed them and by the time they actually did roll out the flames they were already dead.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" he roared as he dashed towards the burning hunk of metal before him, "YUUUUKIIIII!! MIYUUKII!!"

A man rushed up to him, screaming dryly as he reached out his hands and begged for help, his whole body alight with flames. "Listen to me!" he said to the burning man, "Get on your knees! Stop, drop and roll! Drop and roll! LISTEN TO ME!!"

The man couldn't hear him over the crackling flames in his ears. He fell to his knees and grabbed Akasaka by the wrists with his flaming skin, pleading for him to save him. He tore himself away from him as the flames got a taste of his flesh, beating his wrists against his pants to ensure he didn't catch fire. The man then fell face forward, smelling like rotting flesh as he let out one last dying shriek.

All around him there were people crying for their families, pleading for them to save them but all they could do was helplessly try to douse their burning flesh. A single tear fell from his eye, one so full of hatred and anguish that it was hotter than flames surrounding him. That man… that fidgeting, twitching, cowering, and absolutely pathetic man had done this. He had torn his family away from him… and for what?

As he rushed forward he prayed that he was still alive- prayed that the fire had not already spared that sniveling man from Akasaka's wrath. He was in luck. That wretched excuse for a man was still alive. Even with the fire blackening his flesh, some of his pale skin still remained, making him easy to spot. Both of his legs were gone, blown off in the explosion. Akasaka roared in fury as he grabbed a fistful of that man's crispy skin and hurled him across the runway. He ignored the burning pain he had received when he touched his skin. His rage had numbed his every nerve. The man was still shrieking in pain when he got to him, bashing his head against the pavement as the flames began boiling his beady eyes. He ran up to him and rammed his foot into his jaw with a satisfying crack as his bones splintered under his foot.

Seeing him suffer so delivered a sick and twisted satisfaction to Akasaka, one that tickled his nerves with ecstasy and made his mouth curve into a small smile. He kicked him again, and again… and again, laughing with each devastating blow until he heard something that drew him out of his madness.

"Daddy!" cried a familiar voice, "Daddy!"

He spun around, forgetting the writhing little worm in front of him, and his heart nearly stopped when he saw his little girl running towards him with tears running down her cheeks and blood splattered across her white dress.

"Miyuki…" he said in a hushed voice, hardly able to believe his eyes, "MIYUKI!!"

He ran to her, not even realizing the man was dead, and scooped her up in his burly arms. He stroked her brown hair as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"Miyuki, are you hurt?" he said urgently, "Where's mama?"

"So many dead people… I saw so many of them…" she sobbed into his ear in a chocked voice, "I-I…"

She threw up all over his neck, coughing miserably as the sickly green, thick liquid dripped from her lips. "I saw a little boy! And his mama and his papa! They died! The fire got them!" she shrieked, "Please daddy! I want out!"

"Shhhh, shhhh," he soothed, kissing her hair and holding her tightly, "You're safe. You're alright."

"Mamoru!" cried Tony from over the flames, "Mamoru Akasaka! Where are you?!"

He saw him standing amidst the burning rubble, holding a body in his arms.

He ran over to him, holding his daughter close to his chest as he leapt over blazing corpses and debris. "Tony! Tony!" he called as he approached.

They met each other's gaze and Tony heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the little girl held in his arms. "Thank God… you found her," he breathed, "I have Yuki but she's unconscious. We need to get out of here before the fumes suffocate her. Hurry!"

They hurried away from the burning wreckage, their eyes stinging from the black smoke wafting down their throats. Akasaka looked once more upon the chaotic scene in front of him. The red flames were casting a dim light across the runway and the sky was now reflecting it's blood red color. He could no longer hear the tortured screams of the men and women caught in the explosion but he could smell their burning flesh and hear the cries and the sobs of the ones who had to watch them die.

He had been lucky… his family had not been on the plane as Tony thought. They were safe…

On his way away from the debris he caught sight of a familiar chunk of flesh on the ground. It was part of his ear that had been scraped off by that loose piece of rubble in the explosion. And that piece of rubble just so happened to be a small blue spinning top with tiny little teeth marks all over it.

That family… they had been so happy when he saw them. That baby was so full of life and had so much life to live. He could still see his happy, giggling face in the last moments of his life as his dad was bouncing him in his arms playfully. In the blink of an eye though, his life was robbed of him by that man who had mistaken that baby's father for Tony. He couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he and Tony had not been on that plane. Would that man still have tried to blow it up? Would that baby be enjoying his first visit to Japan with his loving mom and dad?

He scooped the spinning top up in his hand, thinking back to when he had picked it up to return it to that little boy. That had only been a few hours ago… how could so much go wrong in such little time? He wrapped his fist around the top as he looked around and saw families holding each other, weeping for the ones they lost.

"Mamoru?" his colleague said to him gently, "Are you okay?"

He paused for a moment and gave the spinning top one last look before he pocketed it. "I'm fine…" he lied, "Let's just go…"

______________________________________________________________________________

They spent the night at the airport with all the other employees and tourists who had survived the explosion. Akasaka spent the night at his daughter's side, her sobbing keeping him tossing and turning all through the night. Yuki had been taken by the paramedics when they arrived because all the smoke had caused her airways to swell up and almost suffocated her. Morning came and Akasaka helped remove all the mangled bodies from the wreckage.

Something caught his eye in the sunlight, drawing him closer to the scorched remains of the passenger's seats. There he saw a man and a woman, their charred bodies holding each other in a dying embrace. In the man's left hand was a beautifully crafted switch blade he distinctively recalled Ichirou talking about when he first noticed them on the plane.

Now they would never have that reunion with their long lost son. Ichirou would never give his son that blade. Gingerly, he pried open Ichirou's scorched fingers, careful not to break them off. He removed the blade and was surprised to see it had hardly been damaged in the fire with only a few scratches here and there but it was better than nothing. It had a silver handle rimmed with an elegant golden design. There was something engraved into the stone in shimmering gold but he couldn't read the language.

He pocketed it and heaved the dead bodies of the Maebarra parents out of the wreckage, slinging them both over his shoulders as he carried them to the many, many stretchers laid out for the corpses.

After the bodies had been excavated they were identified by family members and friends of the deceased and then preparations were made to have the corpses sent to their families for a proper burial.

That day there was much crying and soon dark clouds rolled over the city to reflect on the tragedy that had occurred below.

Mamoru sat in the airport with his daughter asleep on his lap, twitching in her sleep like she had been all night long.

Tony arrived holding two cups of coffee. "Here," he said, his mousy voice sounding dark and morbid as he held out a cup to his colleague."

He took the coffee without a word and simply stared at it for the longest time while Tony sipped away at this silently.

"The paramedics said Yuki would be fine," he informed with high hopes of brightening the mood, "They just need to take her to the hospital for a few days to see her back to health."

Akasaka felt a little better about hearing that but he didn't show it.

"Miyuki's been squirming in her sleep all night," he said somberly, "She woke up screaming last night…"

"After what she's seen… I'm not surprised," he said, "It's just a good thing she wasn't in the plane when the charges went off."

"Charges?"

"Yeah, that bastard put them all around the runway. We found some that didn't go off because they were out of range of the detonator," he sipped at his coffee, "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No," said Mamoru with a light shake of the head, "I can't get those faces out of my head. And their screaming… it was so horrible…"

"I know, I was there too," he said in agreement, "It just shows what kind of man Jack is."

"Jack…" he said the name, as if he thought it'd give him a mental image of his face so he'd know who he was supposed to kill, "…you think he did this?'

"Yeah," he confirmed, "He cut our feed in the plane with Eric and he hired that fucker to detonate the runway. You heard him scream my name when he saw that guy who looked like me step out of the plane. The only reason he didn't blow us all up when I came out was because you bumped into him. When I worked with Jack back in military I learned some things only people in his inner circle would know. After I left, he really wanted me dead. That's why I went to Venice. Italy is one of the few places where Jack doesn't have power. I guess he learned I was coming here and thought it was too good of a chance to miss."

"But why kill all those people?" he whispered, to himself rather than to Tony, "If he wanted you dead why not hire a sniper or something like that?"

"Because that's just the kind of man Jack is," he said simply, "He always has to milk it for all its worth. Now that he blew up that plane people are going to think that it was some kind of terrorist attack and chaos will ensue even if for only a while." He gripped the tiny blue spinning top in his pocket angrily, a primitive loathing stirring up inside him.

He had only seen Jack in pictures. He had never met him before in his life.

But even now he wanted to see that bastard writhe like a worm on a hook for what he's done.

________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Pretty dark chapter I feel. A lot of people die here and so many sweet things went sour. This was kind of a turning point in the story. Now I'm going to stop raising questions and start making more answers. So yeah… leave a bunch of comments while I go take a nap.

P.S: That Dyakov guy (The Soviet General) is a completely made up character. If he shares the name of some actual Soviet leader then it is completely coincidental.


	16. Chapter 15: Loss

**A/N: Sorry I've been gone for so long (which by the standards of most fanfiction authors really isn't that long but I still feel bad). More stuff going down in the real world. **

**______________________________________________________________________________**

Chapter 15: Loss

**Sonozaki Manor; Night of the Shishibone Airport Disaster**

Keiichi heard and saw the explosion from Sonozaki manor. The fiery orange light and deafening explosion had erupted in the night, drawing everyone away from where Kasai was trying to stitch and properly clean Ken's bullet wound. At first, Keiichi had no idea of what he had just lost. He felt no alarm go off in his head telling him his mother and father had just been burnt to a crisp in one of the most horrendous tragedies Hinamizawa or Shishibone had yet faced. He had been sitting outside with Mion when it happened, stroking her long emerald hair as she rested her head on his lap half-asleep.

They both sat up when the orange light lit up the night sky but died down along with the loud boom. Ryuu emerged from Sonozaki manor where he had been pacing, deep in thought, and he looked heart-broken. He ran up to his brother wailing. He had heard it. Ryuu had heard their agonized screams pierce the night air. He felt the parents he had just discovered leave him behind again to go off to the next world hand-in-hand. Keiichi didn't believe him at first, or at least he didn't show it. But something about the way Ryuu had been weeping convinced a part of him that something horrid had just happened.

"Rika-chan?" Rena said timidly to the purple haired girl who had just stood up with alarming speed. Rena was still at the girl's house. She had already told her father she was going to spend the night there and he had agreed. They were just playing a game of _Pick Up Sticks_ when Rika shot up with wide eyes, her purple hair dancing as she stood. "Rika-chan?" she said again, "Are you okay? Are you?"

No answer came from her lips. Her face was frozen and her mouth was clamped shut tightly like she was trying to keep herself from screaming. A single tear rolled down her plump cheeks and fell to the floor as her facial expression thawed out. She whimpered as she fell to her knees.

"Rika!?" Satoko said in alarm, running over to her best friend, "What is it?"

Like Ryuu, Rika had felt it happen. She may not have heard the screams of all those people but through her link with Hanyuu she sensed the lives of many Hinamizawans end abruptly. Some slower than others…

Hanyuu hung her head slowly. She was familiar to this kind of pain since she had been this village's "guardian" for so long. She was no stranger to this sudden feeling of loss and anguish in her heart.

Back at the manor, Keiichi, Ryuu, and Mion had all dashed to Mion's room where she kept a small television under her bed to hide from Oryo and her hate of all things non-traditional. She was still feeling lost as to why Keiichi and Ryuu were acting so paranoid and frightened but she guessed they wanted to tune into the news to learn about the explosion.

And that's just what they did. They plugged in the tiny T.V to the nearest power outlet in her room and flicked it on without delay. The first thing they saw was some colorful anime characters dancing about the screen with inhuman speed. Mion thought she was about to get antagonized for the station she had left it on but the boys didn't even seem to notice. They flipped through the channels until they came to the news station where a pretty anchor-woman was talking about the Cold War going on between Russia and America.

"In international news, both Russia's Soviet Union and the United States have been buzzing with increasing trade activity recently. However it doesn't seem like either nation is doing a whole lot of buying right now," she began, "Lately, large cargo freights and supply planes have been seen leaving both nations quite frequently. However, just what these two feuding countries are shipping and who they are shipping it to remains unclear."

"Very suspicious," commented her male co-anchor with a nod although it was clear by his forced smile that he couldn't care less, "And now, we'll be sending you viewers over to Shoji who is currently standing at the Shishibone airport where American multi-millionaire Graham Angsly will be arriving today with his wife Tanya and their new son. Over to you Shoji."

The T.V went from the news station to Shishibone airport where all of Japan would see the disaster that had struck there. Instead of the jovial atmosphere the news team no doubt expected with the arrival of this Angsly guy and his family, the world was greeted by the sound of shrill screaming and crackling flames. The camera was lying on the ground; right in front of it was a human head with charcoal skin that was peeling from his burnt face. Keiichi grimaced when he took in the gruesome image before him. The man's eyelids had been burnt away, revealing both of his eyeballs fully and his lips and most of the flesh on his cheeks had also been claimed by the fire.

Suddenly there was a loud whining sound that made them all jump as the _Please Stand By_ screen appeared on the T.V.

Neither Keiichi nor Ryuu moved to turn off the television and silence the ear splitting whining it was making so Mion turned it off for them. They looked horrorstruck. Ryuu stood up and left the room, his face devoid of emotion. Mion had no idea why they were getting this upset. It was probably some practical joke… that image they saw… it wasn't an actual dead person. It couldn't have been.

Keiichi fell to his knees and whimpered two words. "Mom…" he whispered, his voice constricted as he fought back the tears, "…Dad…"

She understood now what had just happened. The full impact of his loss hit her like a speeding minivan. She had forgotten Keiichi had told them about his parents return by airplane today at lunch. Words failed her as she tried to offer some kind of comfort to the boy beside her who had just lost two of the things he held so dear to him. She tried to imagine the pain she would feel if her mother and father had suddenly been taken from him like this. She couldn't imagine being this sad though. Her parents were almost never around after Oryo disinherited her mother for marrying an outsider. She had been left in the care of her spiteful grandmother from thereafter.

But Keiichi… his parents had been with him his entire life. For something that had taken up so much space in someone's existence to just disappear had to leave an enormous gap in his heart. Keiichi stopped trying to hold back his tears. He hunched over and buried his face in his hands with his back directly in front of her. With an unsure feeling in her chest, she stood up slowly and crouched down beside him. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and drew him closer to her, leaning forward and brushing her nose against his wet cheek, her warm breath tingling his tear coated skin. He didn't feel proud about crying in front of her. With all that had been happening in her life he had promised himself to stay strong for her. But this was too much. He needed her now. He met her caring, topaz eyes that saddened when she saw just how much he had been crying.

______________________________________________________________________________

After Keiichi had calmed down to the best of his ability they left to find Ryuu. Nearly everyone tried pulling them aside to ask them what had happened but Mion avoided answering them for Keiichi's sake. They couldn't find him anywhere but they didn't really look very long. Keiichi could understand his brother's desire for solitude right now. No doubt he would show up again by tomorrow at the latest. Eventually, Mion was forced to let Oryo hear the news after she pressed her for it.

For a moment, Mion could have sworn she saw her grandma give Keiichi a sorrowful look but it must've been her imagination because her naturally bitter disposition returned moments later. Akane was in the room with them when they told the news to Oryo and she insisted Keiichi and Ryuu stay the night, saying it wasn't safe to be roaming the streets at a time like this.

Kasai, who had finally finished cleaning and mending Ken's wound, objected to Akane's proposition and his outrage only deepened when Mion proposed he spend the night in her room.

"No!" he said at once, forgetting his temperance, "The Maebarra boys will sleep in the guest room! That is after all what the guest room is for last time I checked!"

Keiichi couldn't help but feel a little relieved. While he loved Mion more than anything else in the world he still didn't feel comfortable _sleeping_ with her. Kasai dragged Keiichi to the guest room despite the fact he was perfectly capable of walking himself and rolled out the futon carelessly, chucking a pillow at his face and slamming the door behind him. It would seem no event, even one as tragic as this, was enough to quell his spiteful attitude towards Keiichi even for just a moment.

The guest bedroom was completely empty except for the two futons Kasai had gotten for him and Ryuu who still had yet to show up. The room was a little bigger than Mion's and had a glass slide door leading to the backyard. After turning off the light, he double checked the glass door to make sure it was locked, pausing for a moment as he stared up at the faint glow coming from Shishibone Airport. Keiichi's mother and father were over there or what was left of them. Suddenly, a fresh wave of misery and loss washed over him and he found himself wishing Mion was with him in the room now to hold him again. He loved knowing that there was still someone in his life who loved him and cared for him like his mother or father would.

He choked up when he remembered the times when he was smaller where he would go running to his mother after scraping his knee or something trivial like that and she would hold him until he stopped crying no matter how long it took. He turned away from the night sky and pulled the blinds over the slide door to blot out the fiery glow. His eyes then caught sight of an old traditional Japanese style painting hanging by the door illustrating a solemn looking family consisting of two parents and two children, one boy and one girl, standing in front of their mother and their father. His dad had been a painter. A damn good one too but he was one of the strangest people Keiichi will have ever known. He was so eccentric and funny and… loud. He couldn't believe he used to think his dad was annoying when he got like that but now he didn't know how he would live without his childish and free spirited behavior.

He wiped a tear from his cheek and found himself smiling as he recalled his father following him around all day with a canvas and a paintbrush when Keiichi had come home from his first club meeting wearing a large, frilly, Victorian dress that Mion had forced him to wear as punishment. He had forbidden him to take it off until he had successfully painted him wearing it but luckily his mother intervened before things got too creepy for Keiichi.

His sad smile widened as he remembered his family's many misadventures, sending him through his memories and all the way back to his childhood. He laid down in his futon and tried resting his eyes but tears would always begin welling up again and waking him from his sleep. He could remember dreams he had before where either one or both his parents had died and he could remember that brief panic he felt when he would wake up in his bed the next day, afraid that his mother and father actually were dead. He felt a twinge of desolation when he realized that come tomorrow… when he wakes up they actually won't be downstairs in the kitchen waiting for him this time. They were actually dead…

He jumped a little bit in his futon as he heard the door slide open and slide shut. He realized it was probably Ryuu coming back from wherever he had gone to be alone and he rolled over on his side and pretended to be asleep. He heard his footsteps around him and heard him lay down behind him. Ryuu was quiet except for his gentle breathing. Actually… he could feel his breath blowing against his hair, his breath becoming stronger with each exhale. Was Ryuu getting closer to him!? Keiichi tried rolling away from him while maintaining the illusion he was still asleep, keeping his eyes clamped shut, but he could still hear Ryuu get closer and closer to him until he could actually feel hid body heat.

He got closer and closer still until he could feel his large breast press against his arm…wait… Ryuu doesn't have breasts.

He opened his eyes and came face to face with a familiar pair of topaz eyes staring at him. He jumped inside of his skin when he recognized Mion lying on the ground beside him.

"AHH!" he yelled in surprise. Mion covered his mouth with her hand and shushed him harshly. "SHHH! Do you want my grandma to hear you?" she hissed, "You'd get in a lot of trouble."

"Me?" he whispered in an outraged voice, "What am _I _doing wrong?"

"Okay, so _I'd_ get in a lot of trouble," she confessed, "What? Are you not happy to see me?" She made an exaggerated puppy-dog face, sticking out her bottom lip and batting her eyelashes.

"No, it's not that," he half-laughed, "I just... I'm just a little surprised is all. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see if you were okay…" she said honestly, inching even closer to him so that their noses were touching, "Are you?"

Keiichi thought about his answer for a moment. His mother and father were dead. They were never coming back. And yet, when he looked at Mion's loving and caring eyes he could have sworn he was being held by his mother again and when he saw her affectionate and fun-loving smile he thought of his dad hunting him down with a blank canvas and paintbrushes, wearing that very same mischievous but adoring smile.

When he looked at her he remembered… _"They're not really gone," _he thought to himself, "_Not really."_

He kissed her on the lips passionately and ran his hand down her soft arm until he reached her hand. He took it and kissed the back of her palm lovingly with his soft lips. "I'm okay now…" he answered truthfully.

That night, the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms.

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A/N: That was a short one but I thought it was still very profound and sad. Sorry for being gone for so long and only giving you guys a measly 2,600 word chapter. I tried to make it longer but it started sounding pretty bad after a while so I decided to just redo it.

I know I ask you guys this question almost every time but… What did you think?


	17. Chapter 16: Of Trash and Treasure

**Disclaimer: I do not own a magical wardrobe leading to Narnia nor do I have any ownership over the Higurashi franchise. **

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Chapter 16: Of Trash and Treasure

_Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!_

Shion rolled over on something hard and cold, her head in searing pain as she stirred.

_Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!_

The banging started off faint at first, sounding distant like it was coming from the bottom of a well. But as her vision returned to her the metallic banging grew louder. She blinked several times as she began to regain her vision, rubbing her eyes to clear up the blurry image she was receiving. Now she could hear a voice that also became louder as she came to. Someone was screaming a name with each loud bang. She heard a hoarse voice cry, "Ken! Ken! KEN!" over and over again before the banging sounded off on cue as he called for his brother.

It was Hitoshi, one of the Irie brothers, slamming his burly figure against a glass window which failed to crack even under all his force. In the room were three eerie looking operating beds like the ones they would have you sit in while a dentist was drilling away at your teeth. The room was dimly lit with a single white light-bulb dangling loosely from the ceiling on a thin electrical wire. It cast a spooky and ghostly atmosphere as it swayed side to side, casting eerie shadows with each swing.

The floor, walls, and ceiling was splattered with dark stains that Shion deduced with a sickening feeling to be dried blood considering the rank smell drifting up her nostrils and making her eyes water. She sat up as she tried to recall why she had woken up in this hellish place. She instantly remembered what had happened when she ran her fingers through her dirty hair, discovering a large bump just an inch above her hairline that stung to the touch. She had been hit in the head by a gun just as she was about to pull out her taser which was also gone. She was still wearing what she had on when she was knocked out which was of massive relief to her, reassured to know no one had tried anything when she was unconscious.

Hitoshi still didn't seem to realize Shion was awake as he continued slamming himself against the large and amazingly sturdy glass window in front of him without so much as scratching it, calling Ken's name with each futile charge.

Suddenly, the large, heavy iron door just left of the window began clicking as someone on the other side began unlocking the door. Shion was eager to meet her captors. The door swung open with a rusty creak as she poised herself to strike at whoever entered and make her escape without delay but the sight that met her eyes was enough to stop her heart. Five men stepped into the room; Shion was only able to recognize three of them. Jack Lanyon was standing sandwiched between two heavily armed Russian soldiers, the sickle and hammer insignia of the Soviets displayed proudly on their helmets. In front of them were two more familiar faces. It was Dr. Kyosuke Irie, still looking like a beaten mess, holding Satoshi Hojo in his arms.

Satoshi's eyes met with Shion and he smiled fondly at her in a tired, beat down kind of way. Shion gasped when she saw those faint movements. He was awake?!

Jack looked from Satoshi to Shion and snarled in disgust at their affectionate and relieved expressions. He shoved Irie forward with his one arm and laughed as he stumbled to the ground, sending Satoshi rolling across the hard floor to Shion's feet in the process.

"Satoshi-kun!" she yelped as she crouched down and lifted up his head and shoulders tenderly.

He opened his eyes once again and looked up at her with that same affectionate smile she thought she had seen the last of the day he vanished from her world. This time she was close enough to see the hint of red in his once purple eyes. Now they were a darker plum color rimmed with a crimson red that was starting to frighten Shion the more she gazed into it. He opened his mouth and smiled at her warmly, revealing his slightly jagged, yellow teeth.

_"What---Have---They---Done?!"_ she thought as her eyes widened in panic,_ "What have they done to you?!"_

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Ryuu went wandering around all through the night, his heart racing and his mind spinning with questions. Who had killed his parents? Why did they have to die? He hadn't even met them yet and they were already gone!

He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't even realize he had stumbled upon an old junkyard until he tripped over a grimy lead pipe and landed fast first into the dirt. He rubbed his stinging nose as he stood up and became aware of his surroundings for the first time. He was surprised to discover where he had ended up, surrounded by mountains and mountains of garbage. He looked upward and saw a faint light mingling with the night sky, indicating the approaching dawn. He heard a car zoom by behind him but didn't bother to turn around. He just wanted to be alone now. His eyes darted around for a place to rest- for a place to be alone- and they rested on an old trailer caked with years of accumulated filth and dirt.

Intrigued, he clambered over the hills of junk until he reached the old abandoned trailer. Without so much as a second thought, he went inside and was a little surprised to see how well kept the inside was. There were some old pieces of junk neatly displayed like trophies upon rows and rows of shelves. Regardless of this faint sign of inhabitance he began making himself at home, sitting with his back against the wall as he dwelled on what had happened.

Then he heard a familiarly soft voice call from out of the darkness.

"Ru-kun?" Rena said suddenly, causing Ryuu to jump in his skin, "Ru-kun what are you doing here?"

"Holy shit!" he yelped in surprise when he finally saw Rena's soft topaz eyes glistening in the moon's luminous glow, "Rena! Oh my God… Why do people always do that to me?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely, emerging from the dark on her hands and knees, "Did I scare you, Ru-kun? Did I?"

"Well, yeah!" he exclaimed defensively as Rena sat down beside him, "What do you expect when you just appear out of nowhere in an abandoned trailer that _I _found?"

"But Ru-kun, I found the trailer before you did. You came here _after_ Rena," she pointed out with an adorable smile, "That makes you the intruder."

"Oh, so this is your place huh?" he inquired, "I was wondering why all this junk was so neatly stacked."

"It's not junk!" she objected instantaneously, "To you it may be junk but to Rena it's greater than all the treasure of the Sierra Madre!"

"Really? But it's all… dirty and stuff," Ryuu said with a slight chuckle, "Why would you want to keep this stuff around with you? I am aware of your infatuation with all things cute but I would hardly call these things charming."

Rena laughed in silent agreement. "But they're special to Rena," she argued, staring at Ryuu with a warm fondness she had developed for him during their short time as friends, "Things don't have to be cute to be treasure."

There was a short pause as Rena smiled proudly at her collection of "treasures" collected on the shelves around her. "I guess they are pretty nice after you look at them for a while," he admitted as he reclined back against the wall further, his eyes still fixed on the peculiar red haired girl next to him, "Do you get these all from the dump?"

She nodded. "Yeah, my dad doesn't like me bringing this stuff into the house so Rena decided she'd keep them here for now until she gets her own house," she said with an optimistic glint in her eyes, "For now this is Rena's house, but Ryuu is welcome to come and visit any time he wants!"

"Oh, well thank you," he said with exaggerated gratefulness in his voice, "I guess that means I'll be seeing you more often."

"Yay, Rena likes seeing Ru-kun!" she cheered affectionately, "Speaking of which, why were you here in the first place, Ru-kun? Why?"

Ryuu simply shrugged. "I don't really remember how I wound up here," he said honestly, "I was just walking around- trying to clear my head- and before I knew it I was standing by your humble abode."

"Is Ryuu upset about something?" she queried.

Ryuu gave her a fake smile, trying his best to not reveal the sadness eating away at him. "Yeah, I'm pretty upset about something," he answered, trying to get off the topic of his recent loss.

But Rena was persistent. "You can tell Rena," she assured sweetly, gradually leaning towards him, "Rena cares a lot about Ru-kun."

He bit his bottom lip and pretended to be looking at the coming sunrise to hide his watering eyes. When he spoke his voice trembled. "My mom and dad are dead…" he said bluntly, "Keiichi's mom and dad… m-my…"

Rena wasn't expecting that at all. Suddenly, she felt very angry with herself for pressing him about it. "I'm sorry," she said regretfully.

Ryuu shook his head, sending a stream of tears rolling down his face in the process. "I never even properly met them," he sobbed, unable to hold back his sorrow any longer, "We just talked on the phone for a few minutes and then they said they'd fly back from Italy first thing! They left early because of me! If I hadn't come they would've been on a different plane and they wouldn't have died!" Ryuu shook his head in frustration, feeling nothing but pure hatred for himself. "It's my fault!" he screamed as he grabbed two fistfuls of his black hair, "It would have been better for everyone if I had never come!" He slapped himself in the face without holding back, leaving a reddening mark on his cheek. "Stupid! Stupid" he cried, slapping himself again and again, "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

Rena felt like crying as she watched him slap himself in the face repeatedly and without mercy, blaming himself for something he had no control over. "Ru-kun…" she said tentatively, biting her thumb in a helpless manner, "…you're scaring me…"

He didn't seem to hear her at all. "I-I've ruined everything…" he sniveled, "…I always ruin everything… I ruined Mii-chan's life! I hurt all those people! And now I've ruined Keiichi's life by taking his parents from him! I ruined everyone's happiness!" He brought his hand across his face for another slap but Rena stopped him quickly, grabbing his wrist with her timid little hand. Ryuu struggled for a moment, trying to wrench his hand away to give himself the punishment he deserved, but then he realized who was holding him back.

He relaxed, letting his flailing hands fall to his sides as he panted heavily. He felt ashamed for letting himself lose it like that in front of Rena… _"She must think I'm a real loony now…"_

He was caught off guard by the warm touch of Rena's hand against his burning skin, raw from the rigorous beating it had received from Ryuu. Her warmth cooled his fiery skin, relieving him of the stinging pain. His heart fluttered when he felt her soft thumb wipe away one of his tears.

"You think you're trash, don't you Ru-kun?" she questioned with a compassionate smile and caring eyes. He met her gaze hesitantly, shame making his face hot again.

"I am trash," he answered in a choked-up voice.

Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled downward gently and found that the side of his head had come into contact with something very soft: Rena's lap. The sun was finally rising outside, casting an orange-golden glow on the mountains of garbage that winked in the sun's light. "If you're trash," she said, barely above a whisper, "Then you're Rena's treasure."

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"Are you sure you're okay, Maebarra-kun?" called Akane for the umpteenth time as he set off for home, hoping he would find Ryuu there, "You know the door to Sonozaki manor is always open to you and your brother!"

Kasai made an odd, raspy growling sound in the back of his throat to voice his objection.

"I think I'll be fine!" he said with a wave goodbye as he continued through the gateway marking the edge of the Sonozaki's property, "Thank you for the offer and thank you for taking care of Ken, Kasai!"

"Don't mention it," he said with forced civility.

"Meh…" grumbled Oryo bitterly, "Don't be so polite Maebarra. Do you think me and my family are unable to handle you and that other boy?"

"We'll be fine," he assured, "Trust me."

Oryo grumbled irritably under her breath and Akane smirked at her. "She says she's really going to miss your company!" called Akane with a mischievous grin at her mother.

Oryo simply glowered up at her daughter. "This is why I disinherited you," she snapped before turning around and went back inside where Mion was still sound-asleep. Luckily, Keiichi had woken up early enough to quietly sneak her sleeping body back into her own room to avoid arousing any misguided suspicions from her family. "Well, stay safe Maebarra-kun," said Akane in farewell before she too returned indoors with Kasai at her heels. Keiichi waited until the door shut behind them before embarking on his trek homeward to find the only family he had left.

The sun was just rising, casting an orange glow on the autumn leaves that decorated the trees. The sky was perfectly clear today, which was a welcome change from all the misery and strife that had been patronizing him and his friends for so long. But, while the scenery was beautiful and relaxing, the absence of any human contact thus far was quite disturbing to Keiichi. He hadn't checked the news this morning but he was sure that by now the whole village- no- the whole country already knew about what had happened at the airport. They were all probably shut inside, afraid to step out into the harshness of the outside world. The only sound he could hear other than the lamenting cries of the cicadas was a few gruff voices and the sound of a running car motor. Intrigued, he followed the noise down the road further and saw a large white van where a group of men in khaki jumpsuits and hard-hats were setting up some tall, skinny pole by the creek.

Keiichi continued to walk on, glancing back at the workers with a curious look. But, he decided it was nothing that concerned him… until he saw several more of these pole things already erected along the road, each one standing at least three feet taller than Keiichi. On the top of the finished poles was an old fashioned siren-speaker that Keiichi knew had been commonly used in several countries during WW2 to alert citizens of impending bombing attacks. He had Mr. Akira to thank for that bit of information.

_"Could this be a response to the explosion at the airport?"_ Keiichi pondered as he walked on, slowing down as he passed each of the siren-towers, "_If these things were used to warn people about bombing runs… Does that mean that yesterday's attack was the first of many?"_

Keiichi felt a twinge of anxiety in his gut. He sincerely hoped Japan hadn't gotten itself involved in some kind of war. His life was full of enough unrest as it was. He shook his head, trying to keep his mind clear of any thoughts pertaining to yesterday's tragedy. Right now he just wanted to go home and make sure Ryuu was okay. He finally arrived at Maebarra Manor, which was now officially his house.

He was startled to find two cars parked by his house.

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_"How did it come to this?"_ Ryuu thought to himself crossly as he rummaged through a heap of garbage with Rena looming over his shoulder, "_I went from resting on her lap to digging up trash for her. I'm so stupid!"_

Things were going great with Ryuu and Rena. He was resting his head on her lap while she patted his head affectionately until Ryuu began feeling uncomfortable with the situation. He and Rena had come so close to kissing each other. But what did he do? He killed the moment by shying away to the corner. Awkward silence followed before Rena asked him in a timid voice, "Er… would you like to go dig up some treasure with me?"

Were it anyone else, he would have said "no" straight away. But after the kind things she had said to him, he didn't have the heart to turn her down. But right now, he desperately wished he were back on her lap or better yet, kissing her like he had come so close do doing earlier.

He suddenly felt like slapping himself again.

"So… you really want this Colonel Sanders doll huh?" he grunted as he yanked an enormous piece of rubble from the junk heap, coming another step closer to getting the doll for Rena.

"Uh-huh," she said with an energetic nod, "I tried to make Keiich-kun get him for me but he gave up. But Ru-kun won't give up, will he? Will he?"

"_No, I can't give up when you talk all cute like that,"_ he thought irritably to himself, unable to resist her adorable charm. "No, I won't give up," he assured, pulling fruitlessly on a sheet of aluminum that was caught under a rusting plumbing pipe, "I almost got him… I just need to move this Goddamn—Wah!" He screamed as his hands slipped from the aluminum sheet, sending him falling backwards and straight onto Rena.

"Eaah!" she cried as she was knocked to the ground, Ryuu's back lying on top of her, "Ru-kun, you're elbow's crushing my ribs…"

"Sorry!" he said immediately, adjusting his arm and trying to roll off her without damaging her delicate body. Unfortunately, he somehow ended up rolling over so he was still on top of her but they were now face to face with one another. When they realized the position they were currently in they both froze and their faces lit up with a blush so intense that their cheeks matched the color of the rising sun. They could feel the other's nervous breaths enter their own mouths as they lay frozen in shock, unsure of what they should say or do.

_"Her hair looks really pretty when the sun shines off it…"_ he thought to himself, dumbstruck by her radiant beauty. Rena felt Ryuu softly caress her orange hair, appreciating how silky it felt to the touch. Rena liked the feeling of her hair being stroked by him so gingerly. It made her skin heat up as her heart began racing. Both their lips had a mutual tingling feeling about them- a longing feeling that was making their mouths quiver as they yearned to meet with each other.

Suddenly, Ryuu realized what he was doing and quickly scrambled off her, extending his hand to help her off the ground. She took it, squeezing his hand tightly as she felt herself being wisped from the ground and held on to his hand for a long time after he got her back on her feet, finally letting go with reluctance when Ryuu moved back over to the stubborn junk heap with a determined glint in his eyes. He saw the porcelain doll of Colonel Sanders smiling up at him smugly, its frozen face mocking him.

"You don't have to get it if you don't want to, Ryuu," said Rena, dropping her normally playful tone, "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I told you I'm not giving up," he insisted, gripping the stubborn aluminum sheet tightly in his hands, "I'm gonna get you that doll if it's the last thing I do!"

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Keiichi did not recognize the two vehicles parked by his house so that immediately out-ruled the already slim possibility his parents had survived the explosion and returned home to greet their sons. Keiichi had already climbed up to his bedroom window and snuck into his room, shutting the window behind him. He grabbed his trusty bat and quietly crept out of his room and down the stairs, cursing himself each time a floorboard creaked under his foot. He heard three different voices coming from the kitchen as he hid at the foot of the stairway, listening intently.

The first voice he heard was one he knew belonged to the burly martial arts master: Mamoru Akasaka. "…he's been ordering siren-towers _and _boilers from the Russians?" he said in an astonished voice, "I saw the siren-towers on our way here but I haven't seen these boiler things yet. What do they do anyway, Eric?"

The man he addressed as Eric sounded an awful lot like Mr. Akira when he spoke. "They're like giant spray cans in the sense that they contain some kind of liquid and eject it in a misty form," informed the man called Eric, "They're sometimes used in the British Military to ambush enemy soldiers and spray them with some toxic gas. Usually they're constructed underground to avoid detection so he could have planted them anywhere in the village and we'd have no way of finding where they were."

"And you said he was trying to order bug-spray from the U.S?" inquired a third voice Keiichi didn't recognize.

"Yeah, but I thought you could help us with that, Tony," said Eric to the third man named Tony, "Since you're American and all I thought you'd have access to the shipping records. I'm thinking 'bug-spray' may be a codename for some other gas."

Tony chuckled. "I've spent the past eight or so years of my life in Venice without any contact with the Americans what so ever. Plus, if America is working with Jack you can be sure they're gonna try and hush it up as much as they can. I highly doubt even President Reagan knows about this. It all sounds too shady to be official U.S business. Same goes for the Soviets."

His interest now aroused, Keiichi quietly crept across the foyer and kept himself hidden behind the only wall separating him from the three men, the baseball bat still held tightly in his fist. He was now officially too interested to care about what they were doing in his house.

Akasaka spoke with a deep sigh. "Do we know who his American contact is?" he queried.

"Either General Frost of General Blaze, both of them were good friends with Jack when he was at our training camp," said Tony, "I think it's Blaze though- General Theodore Blaze. He's been demoted several times for irrational war tactics against the Soviets but he always manages to get himself promoted again. He hates the Russians as much as Dyakov hates the Americans."

"I've heard that name before…" said Akasaka in a thoughtful tone, "Didn't he help pay for the dam construction project?"

"Yeah," Eric said, "He sent Jack a few million dollars and some protection. He was personally intimate with the dam's construction."

"That's strange," Tony commented, "Why would someone from America care about one tiny dam being built over in Japan? In a tiny village like Hinamizawa no less! It's not like he would have gained any profit from it…"

"Cleary, there's more to this than meets the eye," observed Eric, "Jack's doing business with two feuding nations- that doesn't make any sense- he asks Oishi to keep tabs on the runaway Ryuu Maebarra boy and shoots him a few days later- also doesn't make any sense- and I'm guessing he's also the reason for the recent disappearance of the Irie brothers and that Shion Sonozaki girl."

Keiichi stiffened when he heard Shion and Ryuu's name.

"It doesn't make any sense," continued Eric, "Jack strikes me as someone with a 'take no prisoners' policy. Why would we go through all the trouble of kidnapping them and keeping them around? Why not just kill them like he did with Oishi?"

Keiichi's heart skipped a beat. So it _was_ Jack who had murdered the old man! He knew there was something wrong with his triumphant tone when he spoke at his funeral.

"Who knows? Maybe he didn't even abduct them," proposed Akasaka, "Weird shit happens in this village all the time."

"I know that," Tony said in a tired voice, "But he's still a prime suspect in my book… what concerns me most is Jack's fixation with that Ryuu kid and those pictures Oishi took of Jack's sketchbook. I can't help but feel the two are linked."

"What do you guys know of the second Maebarra kid?" pressed Akasaka.

"A lot," said Eric, "Remember that freak murder case that happened four years ago at Shishibone cinema where twenty-some-odd people were killed and the Lanyon Asylum murders that happened about a month ago? By some spark of madness, Jack thinks Ryuu did those things single-handedly."

"How is that possible?" Akasaka inquired in disbelief, "400 people were butchered that day. No one man can do that let alone a teenager."

Keiichi was on the verge of losing his balance now. So many people were sure Ryuu was a murderer and all this suspicion was beginning to overwhelm him. First Mion, then Mr. Akira, and now these three guys!

"I'm not so sure he's responsible for the second case with the asylum murders," continued Eric, "but I know for a fact he was the one at Shishibone cinema. I was there when he turned himself in to us, carrying Mion Sonozaki in his arms after he had slashed her back open. He confessed the whole damn thing to us in tears."

Keiichi's jaw dropped as the horrible truth of it all was revealed to him. _"So it was true… Ryuu… my brother's a murderer!"_

Keiichi felt Satoshi's bat slip through his fingers and fall to the floor with a clatter which triggered a loud shuffling of chairs from the kitchen.

"Look's like Keiichi's home…" said Eric calmly.

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A/N: This whole chapter was a lot of trial and error. I probably rewrote it at least twice. It was all very aggravating but I'm pretty satisfied with the finished product. What did you guys think?

P.S: I think I'm coming down with something (oh no Swine Flu! AHHH!) so it may take me a little longer to update again. But I promise to get in out to you by… this Saturday (a week from now).

Don't forget to leave a comment.


	18. Chapter 17: Q & A Sessions

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Higurashi franchise… *sob***

**A/N: I just realized this afternoon as I was lying in bed and watching some Higurashi on my laptop that I've been spelling Keiichi's surname incorrectly this entire time. Apparently it's Maeba**_**r**_**a with just one "r". I've been spelling it Maebarra this whole time. But I'll still be spelling it with two "r's" because that's what my spell-check likes to see. **

**You musn't anger spell check.**

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Chapter 17: Q & A

Keiichi stepped out from behind the wall, his foot lightly nudging the metal bat across the floor, and he was shocked to see his sensei, Mr. Akira, standing there in his kitchen with Akasaka and the other man named Tony next to him. Where was this Eric guy he had heard speaking earlier?

"Hello Maebarra-kun," greeted Mr. Akira with a fond but still detached looking smile, "Mind telling us how long you've been listening in?"

"Mind telling _me_ what the hell you're doing in my house uninvited?!" Keiichi bellowed furiously, "Just because you're my sensei doesn't mean you can just walk in here like you own the place!"

Mr. Akira shrugged. "No one was home," he said plainly, his face hardening, "Me and my colleagues have some unfortunate news for you and your brother."

"How do you know Ryuu's my brother?" Keiichi asked impatiently, "I just found that out two days ago and I haven't told anyone but my friends."

"Akasaka-san told me," he informed, sitting back down at the kitchen table casually as he gave Akasaka the floor.

Keiichi looked to the burly man standing to his left, suddenly feeling very tiny under his imposing figure. Akasaka sat back down with a deep sigh, rubbing the back of his neck with his massive hand, a troubled look on his handsome face. "I met your parents on the plane I took back to Hinamizawa… they told me about your recent discovery," he paused for a moment, struggling to find a way to break the news to him gently.

"I know," Keiichi said suddenly, "They're dead aren't they?"

Akasaka sat upright, surprised that Keiichi had already heard the news but at the same time he looked relieved he wouldn't have to be the bearer of bad news. "Yes," he answered sadly, "There was an explosion at the airport. No one on the plane made it." Akasaka opened his right hand, which up until now had been balled up in a fist, and revealed a small blue spinning top that he spun on the kitchen table with an uneasy look in his eye. "Not a single person…" He turned his head to look at the top twirl amusingly on the table, revealing a large chunk of skin missing from his right ear as he turned his head.

Nobody spoke until the little blue spinning top finally fell over on its side, defeated. Keiichi was the first one to speak. "Is your family alright?" he asked as he sat down with the three other men.

"My daughter's fine," he said with a faint smile, grabbing the top and giving it another good spin, "And Yuki—my wife—she's in the hospital still. She took in too much smoke so the doctors said they'd have to keep her there to make sure she'd be able to breathe again."

"Be glad they're safe, Akasaka-san," Tony said in his squeaky little voice, "I'm sure Yuki will be fine. Anyway though, we came here to discuss your parent's will with you, Maebarra Keiichi." Tony removed a sheet of paper from his jacket pocket and adjusted his round glasses as he scanned the paper meticulously. "Your mother left you most of her possessions- all of her money, the house and most of its contents. She just left a few things to her sister but you don't need to hear about that. And your father…" his eyes skimmed down to the bottom of the paper until he found the paragraph he was looking for, "…your father left you all of his possessions, including all his money, which I think you'll be happy to know, is more than enough to get you through life without having to work a day in your life."

"There is one more thing they wanted you to have," Akasaka said, gripping the top in between two of his fingers, halting its spinning instantly. He fished something out of his pocket. It was a beautifully crafted switch blade by the looks of it, its elegant silver metal glistening in the kitchen light. He also saw gracefully styled words engraved into in gold metal that read, "Ryuu Maebarra" in big thin letters while another phrase was engraved beneath it that Keiichi couldn't read. "I know they wanted to give it to your brother but…" he glanced briefly at his colleagues and caught himself before he said anything else.

"You don't think it'd be a good idea to give something like that to a murderer?" Keiichi finished.

Tony stiffened. "How did you—?"

"I heard you guys talking about it from over there," he pointed to hiding place, "And I think you all owe me an explanation."

Tony sighed and shook his head hopelessly. "You weren't supposed to hear any of that," he said as his face suddenly hardened, "That was a private conversation."

"Well, I think we're hardly in the position to be playing that card, Tony," chuckled Mr. Akira as he sat forward in his chair, "It was a 'private' conversation, true enough, but we were having it in _his_ house after all."

Tony shot him a cold glare. "Are you defending him?" he growled dangerously.

"I think he's right," Akasaka agreed, "He lives in the same house as him after all, he has the right to know about him."

Tony turned on Akasaka with a threatening stare, not at all daunted by his massive size. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He seemed to be deciding whether or not he was okay with the other men telling Keiichi Ryuu's story. "Fine!" he conceded snappily as he crossed his arms and spun his chair around so his back was facing the others, "Just leave me out of it!"

Akira rolled his eyes at his stubborn colleague. "Don't mind him," he said calmly, in a tone that would suggest that these kinds of thing happened all the time with Tony, "He'll brood over there for a few seconds until he gets over himself. Alright Maebarra, you want answers and I think you deserve them so fire away and we'll answer to the best of our knowledge."

Keiichi paused for a moment, choosing from the millions of peevish questions that had been collecting dust in the corners of his mind for the past month, deciding which question he wanted answered the most. "What do you know about Ryuu, Mr. Akira?" he asked finally.

"Yes, I thought that'd be your first question," he said with a small grin, "By the way, while we're divulging secrets to you, you should know my real name isn't Akira Oishi. I'm not Oishi's adoptive son either. My real name is Eric Stride. I simply met Oishi's real son at a military training camp almost fifteen years ago and we became friends." He paused for a moment as he relished in his memories briefly. "But anyway," he continued, breaking free from his fond reminiscences, "I should start by telling you Jack came to town a while back the first thing he did was ask Oishi if he would watch Ryuu for him. We don't really know anymore about him than what Jack told Oishi. That being, Ryuu is supposedly the culprit of the infamous Lanyon Asylum murders that you heard us talking about earlier and that he may have some inhumane power that allowed him to commit such a feat in the first place."

"What about the other murders?" Keiichi pressed in an eager voice, "The one with Mion and the cinema."

"We _know _he did those," Eric said with a grave nod, "As I said before, I saw him rushing into the station to turn himself in. That was the first time I met him."

"What did he do to her?" he beseeched in a manic voice, rising a bit in his chair as he eagerly awaited his answer.

Tony turned back around, unable to be silent any longer. "Eric! That's enough! The boy doesn't need to hear _that!_"

Regardless, Eric continued. "He gave her a really bad slash in the back, broke her arms, ripped out most of her hair, and punched her in the face until she fell into unconsciousness," he said, cringing a bit as he got a mental picture.

Keiichi sat back down in his seat, unable to believe his own ears. "You're sure it was him?" Keiichi asked in an exasperated voice, desperately wishing this was all some ill-humored joke and things would go back to the way they used to be.

"Yes," he answered darkly, "That's why I was sent to teach at your school, Maebarra-kun. I had to watch Mion and Ryuu to make sure nothing happened. From what I can tell by watching them, Mion doesn't remember anything that happened at the cinema but I'm sure she's come to you with her worries about Ryuu."

Keiichi nodded.

"But Ryuu remembers it all," continued Eric sadly, "I'm sure of it. During my first few days here, I noticed he was always very tense around her but lately he seems to have calmed down." He paused to give Keiichi a reassuring smile, "I don't think Ryuu wants to anyone anymore, Keiichi, so just forget about it."

Keiichi scoffed. "_How can I forget that my brother mutilated Mion? How can I forgive someone like that?"_

"What else do you know about him?" he asked, a little afraid to hear his answer this time.

"Nothing, other than he needs to stay well away from Jack," answered Eric, "Before Oishi was murdered; he sent me pictures of Jack's sketch book." He tossed Keiichi the PDTM. "All the sketches change with each picture," Eric commentated, "They all look like they're supposed to be demons but their build seems to develop as they go along."

Keiichi flipped through each of the pictures on the PDTM's tiny screen, a strange feeling of déjà vu reeling inside his head as his eyes lingered on the menacing creatures Jack had drawn. Suddenly, he saw something that roused his curiosity. "Why does it say 'Hinamizawa' on this one?" Keiichi inquired, holding it up so the other men could see it.

All three of them shot him an inquisitive look, clearly unsure of what he was talking about. "Where?" Tony asked urgently, craning his neck so he could see it better.

"Right here," said Keiichi, placing his finger on the spot of interest, "At the corner of the page."

Eric reached out for the PDTM but Tony swiped it from his hand before he could get to it, bringing it close to his squinted eyes. Akasaka scooted back in his chair to get a good view of the screen while Eric mimicked his actions. "Holy crap! He's right!" exclaimed Akasaka, "Right there in the corner! How didn't we see that?"

"And look at the date!" pointed our Eric, "_April 23__rd__, 1962_! That's only a month before Jack came to Hinamizawa and tried to bribe Oishi into letting him build the dam!"

"What does any of this have to do with Ryuu?" Keiichi questioned impatiently.

The three men looked up from the PDTM, as if they just remembered Keiichi was in the room with them. "Oh yes," Eric said, collecting himself as he returned his seat to its original place, "You see, this isn't the first time me and Tony have seen these drawings. Jack carried that sketch-book around with him all the damn time back at the camp. One time, me and Daiichi were able to get a glimpse at what he was drawing in there but he caught us before we could decide what we were looking at and had us do drills all bloody night long. Needless to say, Jack is obsessed with these… these things he's always drawing and he also maintains an incredible fixation with studying Ryuu. If Jack is right about Ryuu committing the Lanyon Asylum murders that would mean he escaped from _his_ asylum. I don't know what Jack did to Ryuu in there but from what we already do know I'm guessing the demon drawings and your brother are linked."

"That's kind of a wild guess, don't ya think?" Keiichi asked dubiously.

"Jack isn't good at multi-tasking," Tony commented, "When he's interested in something that's _all_ he's interested in. It wouldn't be in his nature to study those demon things _and_ Ryuu at the same time unless they were related in some way."

"That's ridiculous."

Eric shook his head. "Not really. I've watched Ryuu's behavior _very_ closely and I can tell you, he is no normal teenage boy," he argued, "And now that you've pointed out Jack's little side note about Hinamizawa it just increases the chance of all this being related. Hinamizawa is the village of demons and he wrote about it _in_ his book of demons."

"So what? You think Jack came to the village looking for demons?" chided Keiichi incredulously.

"That's exactly what we think he came here to do," Tony said bluntly.

"You're all crazy!" he cried sharply, standing from his seat and looking at all of them with disbelief, "There is no such thing as demons!"

"That remains to be seen," Eric responded briskly, "In the mean time, I would like you to do a little undercover work for us, Maebarra-kun."

"Hell, no! I'm not getting caught up in all this!"

"This will help us confirm whether or not it was Ryuu who broke out from the asylum or not," Tony informed in his squeaky voice, "All you have to do is ask him a few questions- try and get him to slip up and tell you where he came from before he arrived in Hinamizawa."

"But—"

"Keiichi, don't be difficult!" barked Eric, his voice rising dangerously, "This if for everyone's safety! Regardless of what you find out I promise you we will not try and apprehend Ryuu. If we gave him to the police Jack could get a hold of him way too easily and we don't want that to happen."

"But I---"

"At the end of each class, I want you to come to my office before or after you and your friends do your club activities and tell me what you found out- even if you didn't find anything out I still need you to show up because if you don't show I am going to guess that means you can't show and then I _will_ have to arrest Ryuu. Are we clear?"

"But I never--"

The front door swung open, causing Keiichi's heart rate to quicken when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey, Keiichi! You here!? I went back to Mion's place but they said you left already!" Ryuu called.

Tony quickly pocketed the PDTM and motioned to Akasaka to follow him as he silently scooted out from the table and crept out the door with Akasaka, leaving Keiichi and Eric alone in the kitchen with Ryuu- who was apparently a dangerous serial killer- rapidly approaching. Keiichi reached for the kitchen knife but Eric shook his head at him hurriedly and motioned him to sit in the chair directly in front of him. Reluctantly, he obeyed, his heart rate growing faster as Ryuu's footsteps grew louder.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw him step into the kitchen.

Suddenly, Eric began speaking to Keiichi as if he had no idea Ryuu was there. "And with your grades, Keiichi-kun, you could get into any university in the country. And by looking at what you scored on your English test last week you could probably even go to some of the colleges in England with some hard work. But then again, I suppose you and Miss Mion-san will be busy running the Sonozaki family together so maybe you won't have to worry about college at all," he let out a hearty laugh as Keiichi looked at him without the slightest clue of what he was talking about, "Ha, ha, ha! I'm just kidding, no need to look so embarrassed. Oh! Hello, Maebarra number two." He looked at Ryuu with a surprised expression, as if he just noticed him standing there.

"Uh… hi…" he said uncomfortably, "I-is that your car out front?"

"Yes, yes it is," he affirmed pleasantly, "I gave Keiichi a ride home when I saw him walking all by himself in the middle of the road and he was kind enough to invite me in for some tea after I dropped him off, which I have yet to receive. Keiichi, why don't you go get me and your brother that tea you promised?"

Keiichi looked at Eric like he had just lost his mind until he finally caught on to what he was trying to do.

"I uh… w-we don't have any tea," he informed nervously, trying to remain calm.

"Oh, well then why in God's name did you offer me tea in the first place?" Eric inquired with an incredulous tone. "Well if you haven't got any tea then I best be on my way. Remember Keiichi," his face suddenly became very serious as he stood up from the kitchen table, "Don't forget to _do your homework_. I'll be expecting it tomorrow evening. I am so sorry to hear about your parents, Ryuu. I already gave Keiichi my sympathies and I would stay to console you further but I'm afraid I have to get going. I've got papers to grade, detentions to oversee, and childhoods to ruin. You two have a good day and I shall see you both tomorrow bright and early."

And with that he left through the front door with a brisk walk.

"What was that about?" Ryuu asked, his eyes still on the front door their sensei had just exited, "I've never seen him so… friendly.

Keiichi didn't answer. All he felt at that point was a frigid cold fear that was engulfing him like a pool of ice water.

All this time… all this time and he hadn't realized just what kind of person had sleeping in the house with him. All this time there had been a killer living in his house. All this time he was in danger of being killed in his sleep. Mion was right…

And there was _nothing_ he could do about it.

The cicadas raised up their voices in a deafening admonishment that could be heard throughout all of Hinamizawa as men zoomed down the road in their big trucks, erecting siren-tower after siren-tower along the dirt roads of Hinamizawa.

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"_Then of thy beauty do I question make,_

_That thou among the wastes of time must go,_

_Since sweets and beauties do themselves forsake,_

_And die as fast as they see others grow;_

_And nothing 'gainst Time's scythe can make defense_

_Save breed, to brave him when he takes thee hence."_

-William Shakespeare

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A/N: Yay! Another chapter in! Not even the flu will stop my freakishly frequent updating! I just hope the sickness didn't screw with my writing.

This chapter was basically a review of most of the vital information you will need to remember for upcoming chapters.

Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Leave a review :)

P.S: I threw that Shakespeare thing in there for two reasons. One: I love Shakespeare (He is my idol, my hero, and he was the greatest poet/storyteller the world has ever known). Two: The poem has a bit of foreshadowing in it and if you're a Shakespeare fan like I am I thought you might enjoy that.

Don't forget to leave a comment.


	19. Chapter 18: When the Cicadas Don't Cry

**Disclaimer: I probably don't own Higurashi **

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Chapter 18: When the Cicadas _Don't _Cry

And so it went. Keiichi understood Eric's hidden message about him "_doing his homework" _and reported to his office every day after school as he was instructed. These meetings usually ended in seconds as Keiichi never had anything to report on his mysterious brother. He no longer was able to speak to Ryuu and he was beginning to find it difficult to even meet his brother's upset glances. Clearly, Ryuu was worried that he had offended Keiichi in some way and he was constantly trying to make up for whatever it is he had done.

"Hey Keiichi!" he called cheerfully one afternoon at lunch period as he took a seat across from his stony faced brother, "I went to Satoko's house yesterday and she taught me how to make rice cakes. We had a few left over so I thought you might want them…"

For the past few days, Ryuu had been accompanying the younger girls to their small house hidden in the hills of the village in Shion's absence. And at night, he, Mion, Keiichi, and Rena would go searching for Mion's twin sister in the dead of the night. They were getting more and more people involved with the search but their efforts were still entirely fruitless.

Keiichi finally looked up at Ryuu's pleasant looking smile but he only drooped his head back down again to his own bento box in front of him. "No," he answered sadly, prodding lone meat ball sitting in his bento box with his wooden chopstick, a distant look in his eyes.

All the girls exchanged worried looks. Mion looked to Ryuu pleadingly as if he may have the cure to Keiichi's unusually sullen behavior this past week but he was just as clueless as she was. Ryuu looked disheartened and lowered his generous offering of rice cakes and took on Keiichi's depressed expression and began devouring his lunch sadly.

The walks home were much quieter now. Keiichi was too upset to speak with his girlfriend, Mion, and seeing the two of them so silent cast an awkward and unpleasant atmosphere around Rena and Ryuu who were walking silently with their friends, occasionally glancing at one another uneasily.

One evening, the morbid walk home became too much for Ryuu to handle. In desperation to remove himself from the scene, he turned to Rena with a bright smile. "Hey Rena-chan, do you wanna go with me to try and get that Colonel Sanders doll out from under that garbage mound today?"

Yeah, he never got it for her. He had actually stayed a bit after Rena had opted on going home but after she left the tedious task of removing a silly doll from under an aluminum sheet that just wouldn't move lost its purpose and he too went home.

He actually didn't think he'd be able to get it out today either, he just wanted to forestall spending the evening at home with Keiichi and was actually hoping he would get Rena to fall for him this time if he spent some more time alone with her.

She agreed with a happy nod. "See you later Keiich-kun and Mii-san!" she said energetically as she took Ryuu's hand and led him away with a bounce in her step.

Mion bade them both farewell as Keiichi continued walking on as if he hadn't heard them. She caught up with him after the two had left and looked at Keiichi with concern.

Keiichi glanced at her briefly, noticing her worried stare. "_She probably thinks I'm sulking about my parents,_" he thought to himself, _"… I can't believe she doesn't even remember what he did to her!"_

"Kei-chan…" she said in an uncharacteristically timid voice, "Are you okay?"

He met her gaze, his eyes freezing upon her beautiful and concerned face. Anger welled up inside him when he thought about how Ryuu had hurt her. Just thinking about how he must have damaged that tender face of hers made his blood boil. If it weren't for Eric's constant reminders of how dangerous Ryuu was supposed to be Keiichi would have killed him for what he did to her. "I'm fine," he said, letting his face soften for the first time in days, "I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"Is it your parents?" she asked, slowly moving closer to him with each step they took.

"No… well that may be a part of it," he answered truthfully, "I don't really wanna talk about it."

"Please, you can tell me." There was a familiar boyish tone in her voice that made her plead sound more like a demand.

Keiichi smiled a bit at her curious and slightly frustrated expression but he said nothing.

They walked together until the time came for them to part by the old water mill that marked the end of their usually peaceful strolls they had together each and every day. Mion said goodbye to him with a tender kiss on the lips but Keiichi was too distracted by his own thoughts to react to her kiss. She gave him one last worried look as she broke off the kiss and walked away.

He looked at Mion sadly and opened his mouth to say something but he couldn't bring himself to say what he had meant to. He wanted to tell her about Ryuu. He wanted her to know about the danger she was in and he wanted to take her someplace safe where Ryuu would never find either of them. But alas, Eric had given him strict orders to never breathe a word about Ryuu to anyone. And so, he walked home alone under the shadows of the countless siren towers erected along the sides of the road. He was surprised the towers were still standing; he seriously doubted someone like Oryo Sonozaki would have allowed such modern and non-traditional technology to be displayed so publically on the road side.

He was also curious as to why those towers hadn't been tested yet. He thought for sure he was going to wake up in the middle of the night to some high pitched siren but so far not a single one had gone off. Eric had told him to stay away from them although he didn't see what harm a siren tower could do.

Finally, he returned home and with half his mind submerged in his own troubled thoughts he opened the front door of his house sluggishly and kicked his shoes off in the foyer. He flicked on the lights and sat himself at the kitchen table and turned on the T.V with the remote to listen to the news.

"And in other news, American General: Theodore Raymond Blaze arrived today at the Tokyo airport and will be heading for the small village of Hinamizawa from there to give his sentiments on the recent tragedy that is now being called the Shishibone Massacre that occurred in the city nearby," informed the handsome looking head anchor he saw speaking every day, "But it doesn't seem like he was expecting to come in contact with one of his Russian friends, General Dyakov of the Soviet Union. The two men met at a press conference at Tokyo. Footage of this is currently not available."

"That's fun," said Keiichi sarcastically as he turned off the T.V, bored with the news. It was then he smelt something fowl and rank in the air. Something that made his toes curl and his jaw tighten to ensure he didn't inhale any of the potentially lethal fumes. It was coming from the laundry room.

It smelt horrible… like rotting corpses and blood. Suddenly, it felt like someone had injected ice water into his blood stream as cold fear overtook his body once again. Unsure of what he would find in there, he grabbed the kitchen knife and crept quietly down the hall to the laundry room with his heart racing madly as if it were trying with all its might to run off in the opposite direction. His palms were becoming sweaty, causing him to hold the knife tighter still to ensure he would be prepared for whatever awaited him in the laundry room.

He was right outside the threshold now, the rank smell all the more horrid when he got close. With a deep breath, he prepared himself to leap into the room and braced himself for whatever met his watering eyes that stung from the unbearable stench. He was sure he would find a dead body crumpled up in his laundry basket, placed there by his murderer of a brother. But instead, he saw the last thing he had expected to see in the laundry basket. Actual laundry.

Immediately he recognized the filthy clothes from when he and Ryuu had first met, back when things had been so simple. That felt like a lifetime ago. So many tragedies had occurred from then and now. It was hard for him to believe that was only a couple months ago, probably not even that long. His clothes looked the same as they did back then but he didn't remember them smelling so awful. He had to do something about it but he was afraid to touch them. He was almost positive his clothes were bio-hazard material by now considering how long they've been collecting filth. Ryuu must have put them in here just last night after they got to smelly for him to keep in his room.

He flung open the washing machine door and quickly picked up the dirty clothes and flung them into the washing machine as if he were ripping off a band-aid. Suddenly, he saw something fall from Ryuu's pants pocket. It was a sheet of dirty paper that glided to his feet. On the paper were words scribbled on to it as if the writer was in some kind of rush. And that wasn't the only one that fell from Ryuu's pants pocket. There were at least five on the floor right now, all of them neatly folded up so they could be carried conveniently in Ryuu's pockets. Keiichi found even more of these papers still jammed inside the pants pocket. Curious, he collected them all and shut the washing machine's lid after applying some detergent and turning it on. He counted the letters as he made his way back to the kitchen, counting twenty five in total.

Each letter started with, _Dear, M_.

Who the hell is M? Who was Ryuu writing to? He looked for his brother's signature on any one of the papers but he didn't find it. Instead, each letter ended with,

_Sincerely, _

_Masato _

So Ryuu hadn't written these? They were all from some guy named Masato but Ryuu had never even mentioned this guy to him.

**(A/N: If you don't remember Masato, he was the guy narrating the prologue in the beginning of the story. You know, the guy who got his head smashed in by Ryuu. Also if you don't remember, "M" was Ryuu's codename back when he was locked up in the asylum.)**

It was then he began skimming through the first letter…

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Shion could hear the voices of her friends from above her, calling out her name late at night in frantic search for her. She felt relieved to know that she was still somewhere in the village, probably underground, and that she had people looking for her. But… that information didn't do her much good if she was stuck down here. About a week had passed since she had woken up in this mad house. A long week with the boy she loved.

But he had changed…

His jagged teeth only grew more and more narrow with each day. And with each day the blood red color that was circling the rim of his iris grew, darkening his soft purple eyes with a fierce red color that made it hard to keep eye contact with him for too long.

He craved meat all the time as well.

"It will only get worse," Hitoshi had informed her yesterday after two men had taken Satoshi to go "feed". Shion always felt uneasy when Jack came in and announced, "It's feeding time!" There was something sinister in the way he spoke and Satoshi got much too excited whenever Jack said it. "I talked to my brother," continued Hitoshi, "He said they're transforming him into some kind of carnivore. I don't know how they're doing it but it seems to be working."

And boy, was it ever working. Jack had come in one evening to demonstrate Satoshi's ravenous appetite to them. He walked into the room with a slab of raw meat and tossed it directly in front of Shion. The next thing she knew Satoshi had knocked her out of the way to get to the meat. He bit and tore at it like some kind of rabid animal until there was nothing but bone left. He even begged Jack for more but he refused him flat out and locked the three of them in again.

It seemed that whenever Jack wasn't around, Satoshi hated him as much as Shion and Hitoshi did. But if Jack so much as walked by the glass window in their cell he would perk up eagerly like a lonely dog who just saw his master getting back home after a long day at work.

Right now, Satoshi was resting his head on her lap in a deep sleep. She looked down at him and smiled. He seemed so tame now… almost like he was before he vanished. Hitoshi was fast asleep as well on one of the operating beds in the room, snoring like a motor boat. But she couldn't sleep. And it wasn't because of Hitoshi's ridiculous snoring either. Jack had told her today she would find out exactly what they had done to Satoshi… first hand. To sum it up, she was going be turned into one of the things they had warped her Satoshi in to. She was scared. She found herself wondering if it would hurt and if so how much. She remembered thinking the same thing as she was sitting in the waiting room of a dentist's office when she was six, waiting to get some bad teeth pulled. Back then, she felt like she was waiting in death row. This felt even worse- like standing in line formed outside the gates of hell, just waiting to see what level in Dante's Inferno they would place you in.

She felt cold all the sudden, as if a ghost had just passed through her. She heard footsteps coming down the hall. Satoshi and Hitoshi were still asleep, completely oblivious that she was about to be taken away to be experimented on- or even worse: possibly being taken away to be killed. She wondered if she'd ever see Satoshi again. She just got him back. She didn't want to say goodbye already.

The door swung open slowly and Jack Lanyon stepped in from the dark hallway outside. She could tell from how dark it was in the hall that it was still night time. Jack stepped into the room, looking far too pleased about something this unpleasant, and two guards stepped into the room behind him. She didn't struggle, she knew it'd be pointless. They just escorted her out of the cell with her feet dragging across the cold stone floor. She heard Satoshi stir awake and saw him sit up out of the corner of her eye.

"Shion!" he exclaimed, opening his now almost completely red eyes wide, "Let her go!"

Satoshi's furious voice had woken Hitoshi as well. "W-whazz- wha?" he murmured as he came to, "H-hey! What the hell is going on!?"

Jack grumbled irritably, as if their resistance was seriously cutting into his schedule for the day. "Experiments," he answered impatiently, "Now both of you, shut up and go back to sleep."

"P-put her down!" Satoshi exclaimed feverishly, "I swear if you hurt one hair on her head I'll kill you all!"

With the way his red-purple eyes were glinting right now, she actually believed he'd do it. She was surprised to see Satoshi stand up to Jack despite the fact Jack was the only thing feeding his carnivorous appetite.

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you, Satoshi-kun," snickered Jack as the guards continued to drag her out of the cell, "Just be a good boy and go back to sleep."

Shion looked at Satoshi and gave him a reassuring smile, as if to say: "Don't worry about me."

He was about to spring on the guards when they stepped through the threshold and shut the door behind them, leaving Hitoshi and Satoshi alone as they blindfolded Shion and dragged her down the dark hallway to become Jack's newest experiment.

Each second was an eternity to her filled with dread and malice as she braced herself for whatever it was she was about to face. Her bare feet went numb as they were dragged limply along the frigidly cold ground, making her even more helpless. Finally, the two guards carrying her stopped moving and there was the sound of a few electronic beeps and chimes followed by a harsh clicking and clanging sound that Shion guessed was the sound of a door unlocking. And sure enough, she heard the rusty creek of a door which unleashed a chilling gust of air on her face, causing her to duck her head to protect herself from the frosty wind. Were they taking her outside? No, that possibility was dashed once she felt her feet being dragged along again and even though her feet were stone numb she could still tell she was indoors. Suddenly, she felt her blindfold being taken off roughly which opened her eyes to the blinding white light that lit the cell she was currently standing in.

She took a deep breath. "_This is it,_" she thought to herself bracingly. She looked at her surroundings and saw that she was standing in an empty room. Completely barren except for the door she just came through and a large glass viewing window to the door's right side. And to her surprise, the two guards left her in the room without a word, locking the door behind them. She thought they were going to do an experiment but there was no one here. What did they plan on doing to her?

Jack's pale skin caught her eye from behind the large window, watching her with a wicked smile on his face behind the safety of the glass window. He was standing in front of what looked like some kind of control panel with flashing buttons and levers on its green colored surface. Jack hit one of the buttons before him and suddenly Shion heard a metallic click followed by a dull buzzing sound. She turned around to the source of the noise and saw a single Higurashi zip out of a slot in the wall that sealed itself when Jack pushed the button once more. He pushed another button and the room responded with a low hissing sound that gradually filled the room. When the hissing stopped, Shion began feeling a little strange. She felt very light headed and unsteady, like someone was literally pumping her head with hot air.

She heard the cicada sound off in a high pitched cry as she stumbled to the ground from sudden exhaustion. The cicadas usually shrill and unpleasant wailing somehow seemed to calm Shion's nerves once again, giving her the balance to stand up once more as she rejuvenated in the cicada's soothing song.

But her brief tranquility was interrupted by Jack's arrogant voice over the intercom that was bolted over the window. "Miss Sonozaki," he began with a pompous smile, "It's my understanding that you are close friends with the Furude child. Am I correct?"

She perked her head up. What did he want with Rika?

"I'll take that as a yes," he said arrogantly, "I also heard about that tragic incident that happened only just last summer where her life- and, in fact, the lives of all the good people of Hinamizawa- was in mortal peril. Am I correct?"

Even though she was curious as to how he got this information when not even the majority of the villagers knew about their little "adventure" last summer when they thwarted Takano's plan to wipe out the village she remained stubbornly silent.

"I'll also be taking that as a yes," he said as if she had already answered him, "I'm sure you know why that maddened woman was hunting her so diligently?" He didn't pause for her answer this time. "It was because Rika is what I call 'the queen'. I'm sure you must have learned by now that as long as the Hinamizawans stay close to the Furude girl, the syndrome will remain docile."

_"How did he know about the syndrome?!"_ she exclaimed mentally. That was a well kept secret. The only ones who were supposed to know about it were the Irie brothers and her friends. Even her own family was ignorant to that secret, still under the impression it was some divine curse at the hands of Oyashiro.

She was beginning to feel uneasy. For someone who wasn't even Japanese, he knew an awful lot about this village.

"Yes, I know about the syndrome," he said, reading her shocked expression perfectly, "And I know you do as well. But did you know this little number? Have you ever noticed that in situations of stress and anguish, the cicadas of this village sound off by the numbers?"

It was true. It had happened just a moment ago when she fell to her knees. The cicada had begun crying when she lost her balance. It happened all the time too. Whenever someone was in danger or her mind was racing uncontrollably, the Higurashi never failed to join each other in a massive chorus. She also remembered the day Oishi's death was announced. The whole village seemed to be cast into perpetual gloom and confusion. The cicadas had been particularly loud that day but Oryo had just told her it was their way of mourning Oishi's death. She never really paid any heed to it but now she found herself wondering why the cicadas cried. She couldn't help but look at Jack inquiringly, a little curious of the answer now that the question had been brought up.

"Rika Furude is not what keeps this village safe from those infected with the syndrome," Jack continued, "It's the cicadas. Their cries are actually a type of sound-wave that quells the Hinamizawa Syndrome whenever you feel large amounts of stress. It makes your nerves more docile as I'm sure you just noticed." Jack paused for a moment, amused by Shion's alarmed expression. "The virus is always trying to overtake your body and your mind," Jack continued, "making you do violent and stupid things. The body will often cause the host to hallucinate and attack themselves just to try and stop the virus from growing any further during even the earliest stages of the syndrome. That is why if enough stress is applied to the mind a person could still succumb to the symptoms of the virus even if they were surrounded by a whole menagerie of cicadas." He removed his pipe from his jacket pocket and stuck it in his mouth before lighting the tobacco. "Rika Furude still plays a vital role in this though," he continued, puffing a fresh cloud of smoke, "The cicadas sense the villagers' stress through her so they know where to direct their cries. It's kind of like the cicadas are all one body and the Furude girl is the brain. Without her, they would be lost and scattered and only crying enough to stop the syndrome from rising past level five."

Shion shook her head, desperately trying to find a hole in his logic. "No, there is no level above L5!" she argued, speaking to him for the first time.

"On the contrary, there are seven levels of the syndrome," Jack contradicted, "Thanks to the cicadas though no one has ever gotten to L7 and only one person has gotten to L6."

"Oh yeah? Who would that one person be?" Shion retorted, confident he would be unable to answer her.

But he did. "Actually, I think you know him," said Jack, "His name is Ryuu Maebarra."

The cicada was shrieking with all its might now, trying its hardest to keep up with Mion's quickening heart. "But… Ryuu doesn't act like—"

"He doesn't act like he's infected?" Jack finished with a raised eyebrow, "Ha! That's because L6 is the stage of the syndrome where the virus goes dormant for a while, building up its strength to make one final attack on the body so it can fully take it over. That's why he doesn't claw at his own wrists or his throat. Sure, the virus may occasionally cause the host to act strangely. It can cause paranoia that's so intense that it increases the host's thinking power by over one-hundred percent and can also make the host very dexterous and nimble as well as other qualities such as heightened sense of smell, sight, taste, and hearing. Ryuu is in that stage right now, although while he remains in the village the virus is basically frozen in L6 until he leaves from the safety of the cicadas' call. He spent four years out of the village; it takes about five years in L6 to progress to the final stage of the virus."

This time, she really couldn't find a single flaw or hole in his theory. It all matched up. Jack had mentioned how the virus made the human mind work much faster due to intense paranoia. She distinctly remembered the day Mr. Akira first showed up. He had given them all a pop quiz that day and Ryuu finished it within seconds while everyone else hardly finished at all. And Jack also mentioned that the virus made the host extremely agile and dexterous which would explain why Ryuu was so fast at all the outdoor club meetings. And the heightened senses thing also explained why she saw Ryuu smell the air at Oishi's funeral. Did he smell Jack's scent? Was that why he was so nervous?

Even if she didn't want to believe it, a part of her knew everything Jack had told her was the truth. "Why are you telling me this?" she asked suddenly.

Jack's face cracked into a sick and sadistic smile as if this were the point he had been trying to get to all along. "Because I want you to know what's going to happen to you," snickered Jack, "You see, there is always one cicada crying out in the village and you'd be surprised to learn how large of a range their cries have. If only one was crying out the sound wave stopping the syndrome's progression would still reach you whether you heard it or not. However, there is one instance where the cries of the cicadas would never reach you and that would be inside a sound proof chamber that would keep out every sound wave short of an atomic boom. You happen to be in one of these chambers now. I can still hear you fine though because I put microphones all over the place. The only reason you haven't started succumbing to the virus's symptoms is because that one tiny cicada in the chamber with you is keeping the virus sedated… for now."

They both glanced up at the cicada which had been shrieking non-stop since Shion fell.

"So when you pushed that first button that was you sound-proofing the room?" she queried.

"Yes, once I hit that button the room locked out all sound so not even one of the cicada's cries could have gotten to you. Your body gave way to the syndrome as soon as it no longer sensed the cicada's sound waves stopping the virus but as soon as that cicada started crying you returned to normal."

Shion felt defeated. It all made sense to her now.

Jack sighed deeply as if he were preparing himself for a hard day's work. "Well anyway, it's been fun talking to you but now we'll be starting the experiment."

Shion's heart slammed against her chest. "What are you going to do?!" she yelled fearfully.

"I'll start by killing that cicada and watch as you succumb to the virus," he informed plainly.

"B-but I'll just end up tearing out my throat!" she cried.

"No you won't. I found out a way to speed up the virus's progression. Don't worry, you'll hardly feel a thing."

"What are you talking about!? How can you make it go faster?!"

"I think we've talked long enough," said Jack in a bored tone. And with that he turned off his microphone and waved goodbye to her as he pushed a button that activated two thick sheets of titanium metal to slide down at opposite ends of the window until they met each other at the middle, blocking Jack from her view.

And then he pushed another button that triggered a misty substance to spray from the ceiling that stung her eyes instantly. She soon discovered that this mist was actually bug spray, causing the lone cicada still protecting her to shrivel up and die on the floor.

Her transformation had begun…

________________________________________________________________________

Keiichi had read each letter and if what this Masato guy had written wasn't enough to prove Ryuu had been held at that asylum then he didn't know what would. He had already guessed "M" was Ryuu's codename and he was able to gather that these letters were sent while Ryuu was still in his cell.

Each letter was full of questions for his brother. Friendly questions like: how are you doing? How was your day? Tell me about your family. Tell me about your friends.

At the end of each letter Masato would ask Ryuu to write back to him which led Keiichi to believe the two of them had some kind of way of passing messages. But it was the last few letters that disturbed him the most.

_Dear, Ryuu_

_Do you want to leave?_

That was all he wrote in that particular letter. It was very short and simple unlike his other letters which usually took up an entire page. The last letter disturbed him greatly. It had been crumbled up in a ball when he first found it but when he picked it up to read it he discovered it had a substantial weight to it. And when he unfurled the letter something heavy fell on his lap. It was a large pocket knife smudged with crusty blood and on the letter was written one simple word:

_Kill._

His brother _had_ killed all those people in the asylum. This letter proved it. He was in the same house as a mass murderer! And speaking of murderers, Keiichi suddenly heard the sound of the front door opening and heard an all too familiar voice cry out: "Keiichi! I'm back!" His brother was back… and he had a feeling that after he saw these letters Keiichi wouldn't live long enough to make any accusations.

The cicadas cried out to Keiichi's racing heart.

________________________________________________________________________

A/N: . And now you know _why_ the cicadas cry.

Now would be an awesome time for you to leave a comment

P.S: I'm not sick anymore. Hoo-rah! But unfortunately, my academic career is catching up with me and now I'm gonna have to study, study, study. I'll try to update again soon but don't get your hopes up too high. I'm gonna be really busy.

And as always: don't forget to leave a comment.


	20. Chapter 19: The Common Enemy

**Disclaimer: If I owned Higurashi, I would have control of the world's sanity**

**A/N: Today, I would like to extend a shout out/thank you to some very awesome people who have been very awesome with giving me constant feedback on my story thus far.**

**Thank you: **

**NotSoHappyBirthday **

**Cicada of the Dark –Sacred Hero- **

**Cryhav0q **(just a quick question, cryhav0q. Would your screen name by chance be a reference to Julius Caesar's famous quote "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war"?)

**Zoken Hirogechi (gave me my 1****st**** review) **

**and Shashuko the Paisley Maiden **

**Thank you to all those guys! Your very frequent reviews keep me motivated and keep these chapters flowing. I'm just glad you haven't given up on me yet :3**

**Also, some of those guys up there have stories you should check out. No joke, I'm not being paid to say this or anything- they're fics are really interesting. **

**And also, thank you to all of you other readers who keep my viewer count on my profile climbing. **

**And without further-ado, here is chapter 19.**

____________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 19: The Common Enemy

**Hinamizawa; 8 years ago; the day the Hinamizawa dam project was canceled **

Daichi had been quiet for the past few weeks. He had hardly spoken a word to Eric or Oishi at all. He spent most of his time alone in his room just staring out the window deep in thought. Eric kept a concerned eye on him and tried to interrogate him about his behavior but he would always just laugh and say, "I've just been really tired recently." The heavy bags under his eyes were testament to that.

Jack had been giving Daichi a lot of work lately. Yes, they were back working as Jack's pawns under the order of the Japanese military. They were supposed to protect Jack and his men as they began construction on some dam they were going to build over the village's sacred burial ground. Eric objected strongly to this but Oishi had insisted he go and work as an undercover agent.

Daichi would stay up all night though, despite the loads of work Jack was dumping on them. Eric sometimes pretended to be asleep, keeping his eyes on him to see what he was up to. But all he would do at night was sit at his desk and stare out into the night with a pensive look in his eyes.

One night, Eric decided he would no longer sit in silence and watch his friend stare into the night sky when he should be sleeping. The two of them slept in the same room, in bunk beds. He sat up and looked at his friend's troubled expression before speaking. "Daichi, what are you doing?" he asked, trying not to sound too concerned.

Daichi tore himself away from his trance and gave his friend a tired-out smile. "I'm thinking," he answered vaguely, "Just thinking…"

Eric got out of bed and stood next to him, trying to mask his genuine concern with an irritated look. "Thinking about what?" he asked.

He didn't answer him for a long time. "About tomorrow…" he answered as he hung his head sadly.

"What happens tomorrow?"

Daichi straightened up again and looked at his friend's concerned face and smiled. "I'm still deciding," he answered.

Eric shot him a curious look. "What the hell does that mean?"

Daichi fished in his pocket and removed a black, old-fashioned floppy disk from his pants pocket. He stared at the disk for a moment, unaware of the tears welling up in the corner of his eyes. "I've been asked to do something I know I can't do…" Daichi said in a unsteady voice, "I discovered something no human should ever have to bare knowing."

Eric was silent, waiting for him to continue but instead he handed the floppy disk for him to take.

"What is this?" Eric asked, examining the floppy disk closely.

"A file," he answered, "I need you to keep it safe."

"Why? What's on it?"

"Just stuff," he answered with a shrug, "I need you to take it and hide it in a place where no would find it, especially Jack. Promise?"

Eric's concern was now evident in his face. "S-sure. But why?"

"And…" he interrupted, biting his lower lip as he struggled to continue speaking, "Just promise me one more thing Eric… If something were to happen to me I need you to be strong for my mom and dad. Okay? Don't do anything stupid or get yourself killed. Promise me."

Eric dropped the disk. "No…" he gasped, "Daichi what do you mean?"

"Promise me!" he shouted.

"Tell me what's going on first!" Eric demanded.

Daichi rose up, his eyes watery with tears. "I can't!" he yelled, "You have to promise though! Please, Eric!"

Eric shook his head. "Don't be stupid!" he yelled back, "I'm not going to let you get yourself killed!"

"That's not your decision to make!" he retorted, his voice trembling, "It's mine and I've made up my mind!"

Eric fell silent.

They both panted heavily for a moment, out of breath from all their shouting. "Keep it safe," Daichi said as he brushed past Eric and climbed up on the top bunk and rested his head on the pillow, "Don't open it until the time is right."

And with that, Daichi finally fell asleep.

The next day, Eric woke up and discovered Daichi had already gone. And he had a hunch as to where he had gone to. Jack had personally requested Daichi to put together the file contained on the floppy disk that was still lying on the ground. Now Eric understood what Daichi was going to do.

He ran to Jack's head quarters urgently and arrived just in time to see a bullet fire from Jack's gun and rip through his best friend's chest.

The world stopped revolving as blood gushed from Daichi's chest and his mouth as he began his descent downward to the ground. As the life was leaving his best friend's body, he could have sworn time itself had slowed down. It felt like an eternity until Daichi's body finally landed on the ground with a loud splash of blood.

Suddenly, something in his head snapped. Daichi was dead. He was just now realizing that. He glared at Jack and let out a fierce battle cry as he launched himself forward at him with bloody works on his mind. He only took a few steps however before he felt two guards seize him before he could go any further.

Jack laughed at Eric's futile struggle to break free from the men's hold on him. "Search his body," he ordered as he pocketed his pistol, "The disk has got to be on him somewhere."

Eric stiffened. So that's what this was all about? That little floppy disk? What was on there that was so important that Daichi had to die to keep Jack from reading it?

The guards heaved up Daichi's freshly made corpse and began fishing in his pockets and feeling for the disk in his clothing but they found nothing.

"Nothing sir," they answered.

Jack cursed under his breath and turned on Eric next. "Where is the disk?" he asked as he pulled out his pistol on him.

Eric's mind was still lost in Daichi's dead body. His eyes were still wide open and even though no life could be detected behind them he could still see the determined face he had been wearing before he his life was robbed of him. Tears leaked from Eric's eyes and mingled with Daichi's blood on the ground.

"Damnit boy!" cursed Jack as he rammed his pistol into Eric's stomach, "I don't have the patience for this! Where is the disk I asked him to bring me!?"

Eric gasped as he tried to regain the air that had just been forced out of his lungs by Jack. He knew if he didn't tell him he'd probably end up like Daichi. But even though he didn't know what the disk contained that was so important, he couldn't help but remember what Daichi had said to him last night.

_"I need you to take it and hide it in a place where no could find it, especially Jack. Promise?"_

He struggled to regain his composure, meeting Jack's fierce eyes and grimacing. "I don't know what you're talking about…" he lied, "He… he never told me anything."

"LIAR!!" roared Jack, brining the tip of his across Eric's bottom jaw.

"I swear I don't know!" he lied again, tasting blood in his mouth.

Jack grabbed a fistful of his hair and tilted his head upwards by nudging it with the barrel of his gun. "Well then," he said with a crazed laugh in his voice, "since I can tell that you're lying to me, I guess I'll gave to execute you for insubordination." He pressed the gun barrel into Eric's chin and placed his finger on the trigger. "Say hello to Daichi in hell for me." Eric winced as he saw Jack's finger squeeze the trigger and…

_Bang!_

Eric heard the gun shot echo loudly in his ears. Was he dead already? That didn't hurt so bad. He opened his eyes and found himself lying on the floor with Jack in front of him, his eyes wide with shock.

He followed Jack's gaze and saw no other than Oishi and the rest of the police force storming in with their guns held ready. Eric then turned to Jack's pistol and saw it had been shattered, blown apart by a bullet fired by Oishi. Eric couldn't help but feel impressed. That old man had just shot a tiny pistol out of Jack's hands without so much as grazing Eric.

"Jack Lanyon!" roared Oishi, "You are under arres…t…." His eyes came to rest on the bloody body of his beloved son, his skin now chalk white form all the blood it had lost.

"Daichi…" he murmured, "T-that's… that's my son…" He staggered forward slowly, as if he were walking on a limp, to his son's body. Eric could do nothing but watch as Oishi scooped him up in his arms and looked at his empty eyes. "That's my boy!" he sobbed loudly, "That's my son!!"

______________________________________________________________________________

**Present Day Hinamizawa; 2:45 pm; School**

Eric's road trip down memory lane suddenly came to a screeching halt when he realized he was still standing in the class room with a blank stare. His students were looking at him with befuddled stares and bewildered amusement. He had been teaching his World History lesson when he suddenly dozed off into his memories.

He blinked a few times as he tried to fully tear himself away from the cursed memories of his past. He cleared his throat before continuing his lesson. "Right," he began, "So, Saladin was the ruler of the Muslim Empire during the third crusade. But does anyone know who was leading the Christians at this time?" The entire class looked around at one another to see if anyone would attempt to answer the question. However, the class remained completely silent. "Oh, come on," he scoffed irritably, "Nobody knows? Not even you, Keiichi?"

Keiichi blinked a few times, as if awakening from a trance. "Huh?" he mumbled, "Sorry Mr. Akira, I wasn't really paying attention."

Eric shook his head at him. "The answer is Richard the Lionheart!" he spat, "You should know that if you did your reading last night! And how did King Richard get the name 'Lionheart'? Anyone know?"

He went on teaching the lesson, leaving Keiichi in peace as he replayed last night's events all over again in his head. Ryuu came inside the house, saw the letters, asked Keiichi if he had read them and when Keiichi lied and said no he scooped them up and locked himself in his bedroom for the rest of the night. It was strange behavior even for him.

Keiichi had been upset Ryuu took the letters. He had wanted to show them to Eric today after class. It was proof that Ryuu did in fact escape from that asylum, murdering a few hundred people in the process. But not all was lost. He had managed to keep one of the notes, the most incriminating of them all. The last one that had ordered Ryuu to _Kill._

Last night had been a hard one for Keiichi. He slept with his bat held close to him, jumping in his skin at every bump, creak, and rattle he heard. He was relieved when morning dawned so he could get out of his house and away from Ryuu. Ryuu greeted him that morning in an awkward fashion. He didn't sound angry but there was something off about his tone.

Finally, Eric's history class came to an end, marking the always highly anticipated dismissal bell. There was the routine scuffling of chairs as the students began packing their school things and tried to get out of the door before Mr. Akira could assign the homework.

"I want a two page essay on who you think was at fault for the start of the crusades, the Muslims or the Christians," he called out over the class, "Due next class. Keiichi, I'll be waiting for you in my office."

He shuffled out of the room with a handful of papers and let the class dismiss itself from the room.

Keiichi stood up from his desk and met with his friends at their usual grouping of school desks. "I don't think I'll be coming to the club today guys," he said apologetically, "I got another meeting with Eri—I mean, Akira-sensei today."

They all looked at him curiously. "Huh? Those usually only take you like thirty seconds," said Rika.

Keiichi glanced at Ryuu and felt for the letter in his pocket. "Yeah, but he told me the meeting might drag on a bit today so don't wait up for me."

"Keiich-kun, are you hiding something?" interrogated Satoko with a sharp glare.

"No!" he answered quickly with a very fake laugh, "You guys know I don't lie."

"But that could be a lie right there," said Hanyuu, "Are you lying about not lying?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" he laughed, "Anyway, I can't keep Akira waiting any more. Maybe if I go early I'll get out in time to play a quick game. If not, I'll see you guys tomorrow."

Not wanting to be interrogated further, Keiichi dashed out the classroom door and into the hall, cursing his crappy lying abilities. He came to Mr. Akira's office and knocked a few times.

"It's open," said his voice from behind the door.

Keiichi swung the door open, stepping into the newspaper clad office. He still hadn't gotten used to how every inch of the walls was literally covered in countless newspaper clippings. To his surprise, he discovered Eric was not alone today. In the room with him were Tony and Akasaka standing by Eric in heavy coats. "Ah, perfect timing," said Eric as he zipped up his jacket and tossed another one in his direction, "Here, take this. It's freezing today."

"Uh… thanks," Keiichi said as he slid on the jacket, "Are you guys… going somewhere?"

"Yes. And you're coming with us," said Tony in his squeaky voice, "We're off to see an old friend of ours."

"Who?" Keiichi inquired.

"An old man by the name of Dorian Greene," he answered, "He's an old hermit who lives on the outskirts of town."

"Is he American?" Keiichi asked, taking notice of his very un-Japaneesish name.

"British," Eric said, "He was Jack's right hand man and his best friend. We've spent years tracking him."

"Years?" Keiichi gasped in amazement, "Why?"

"For a number of reasons," Tony said, "Mainly because he probably has all the answers we need to bringing down Jack and also because he owes me. Big time."

"Owes you for what?" Keiichi pressed.

"Because Tony here has been acting as Dorian's double for the past decade or so," Akasaka said, "Dorian learned things about Jack that only the people closest to him would know. But I guess he got tired of dealing with Jack and went into hiding."

"Why'd he hide?"

Eric answered him this time. "Because, he knew things that only Jack's inner circle should know. Once he left, Jack tried to hunt him down and kill him before he told anyone what he learned. It was at this time Dorian decided to join our side and so Tony offered to become his decoy. It worked; the soldiers started hunting Tony after that."

"That's why I ran away to Venice," continued Tony, "I discovered that Italy is one of the few places where Jack holds no power. If his men followed me there is would have caused an international incident."

"Why didn't Dorian run off to Venice then?" Keiichi questioned.

Tony shrugged. "I didn't tell him about it," he said simply, "He was doing fine on his own."

Eric opened his desk drawer and pulled out four handguns and some ammo. "You know how to use a gun Maebarra?" Eric asked as he started loading each gun.

"Wha-!? You mean you want me to use one of those things!?" he exclaimed in alarm.

"Of course I do, this is dangerous business," Eric said plainly, "I don't think you realize the danger you would be putting yourself in should you choose to help us." He tossed the other two men their weapons, which they pocketed as if this were daily routine for them. "The four of us are not the only ones trying to bring down Lanyon," Eric said, "There are people all over the world who are on our side."

"You make it sound like you guys and Jack are at some kind of war."

"Oh we are," affirmed Tony, "Jack has broken every single rule in the book. If it weren't for his money he'd be locked in a high security prison right now. There are always some people out there who see what Jack is doing is evil and they always band together to stop him. Eventually, everyone who had a problem with Jack ended up crossing paths and we formed our own special club once we realized we had a common foe."

"What has Jack done that's made him so many enemies?" Keiichi asked incredulously.

"He's been fueling the Cold War since it began," Tony answered, "Creating enmity between both sides just when it seems the waters have calmed. He gets materials for them, sells them weapons, sells them troops, and bribes the bureaucrats to keep up the war. He makes huge amounts of money off of it but at many people's expense."

Eric nodded in agreement. "Yes, but he almost never sells to _both_ factions at the same time which is why we find his recent activity so suspicious. And the fact that he's back in Hinamizawa doesn't bode well either."

Eric stepped out from behind his desk and held out the gun for Keiichi to take. Keiichi reached out to take it but Eric stopped him suddenly. "Please realize that if you take that gun you'll be placing your life in mortal peril," cautioned Eric, "Jack has proved time and time again that he isn't above killing children."

Keiichi swiped the gun out of his hands. "Okay, for one: I'm not a child," he said as he pocketed the handgun, "And if I understand it correctly, Jack is the one responsible for my parent's death so if you guys are going after him you're not going without me."

Eric's eyes shone with a hint of pride from behind his glasses as Akasaka laughed heartily. "You sounded just like Eric when you said that!" boomed the burly man.

"All right, enough of this show of emotion. Let's get going," said Tony as he finally zipped up his jacket, "Akasaka, make sure you grab the cooler. We got a really long car ride ahead of us."

______________________________________________________________________________

Mion and the gang had left for their designated homes when they decided Keiichi would not be returning from his meeting anytime soon. She walked home alone with no one but Rena to keep her company since Ryuu had left immediately after the bell rang. "Ru-kun and Keiich-kun sure are acting strange, don't you think so Mii-chan? Don't you?" said Rena as they neared the water mill.

Mion nodded sadly in response. "Yeah… I've been waiting for Keiichi to actually ask me to go someplace with him but we haven't spent very much time alone together since the festival."

"Awwww, Mii-chan is so smitten with Keiich-kun," she wrapped her arms around Mion and lifted her a good two feet from the ground, rocking her side to side in her arms as she nuzzled her cheeks into Mion's breast, "I want to take both of you hoooome!"

Mion waited patiently for her to release her. "Are you done?" she asked after about five minutes of being squeezed to death by Rena.

Slowly she let down the green haired girl and sighed happily. "Yup."

"Well then I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Rena!"

Rena waved goodbye to her sweetly before turning her heels and walking away, leaving Mion to walk home alone under the shadows of the menacing siren towers that were just recently erected. She was starting to find them unnerving. She talked about them with Keiichi before but he was being very nonresponsive then like he had been this past week. She groaned sadly, her worry for her precious boyfriend welling up inside her.

He wouldn't tell her why he was so upset. She doubted it was about his parents because he seemed fine the night the two of them had fallen asleep together and her mother said he was plenty energetic when he left the house the next morning. Was it about Ryuu? She noticed he had been very unusually distant with him lately. He was acting like she had when Ryuu first showed up but she thought they had gotten over that now. Maybe Keiichi found something out about him and wasn't telling her about it…

She was approaching the front gate of Sonozaki Manor when she noticed a white van that was parked right by her house. She stared at it for a while before continuing her walk up to her front door with reluctance.

As she approached the front door, she could hear a faint voice coming from inside. Two voices actually, one belonging to her grandmother and the other she recognized as Jack Lanyon's. Quietly, she crept inside and the first thing she saw was Oryo and Jack sitting face to face in the kitchen.

"This is the kind of thing you consult the head families before doing!" barked Oryo, "You have no reason for constructing those monstrosities!"

She knew that by 'monstrosities' her grandmother was really referring to the siren towers.

Jack answered in his usual arrogant tone. "I do have a reason. I'm just not sharing it with you," he said. Mion quietly shut the door behind ger and silently snuck over to the kitchen threshold where she crouched down and pressed her ear to the thin walls to hear them better.

"As head of the Sonozaki estate, I demand you take down those towers unless you can present me with an explanation!" responded Oryo irately.

Mion hadn't seen her grandmother this angry since the dam construction incident all those years ago. Although her tone was frightening, she couldn't help but rooting for her inside her head for standing up to a man like Jack.

"You have no such power," Jack said coolly, "Legally, you can't do anything. Your government even gave me the green light to build those towers so you have no right to—"

"We stood up to the government before! We'll do it again!"

Jack laughed at Oryo's determined voice. "That's because I let you win that little stand-off…" he said calmly, "This time you would have no such luck."

"Why you arrogant little… I'll kill you if you don't fix that tone of yours with me," she hissed dangerously, "Our protesting is what stopped your dam's construction and you know it!"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he responded, "I had anticipated you to resist the dam's construction even before I started it. Once I met you I knew you'd have a problem with my location choice…"

"You should have never disturbed the spirits by trying to build your dam there!" she argued, "That was a sacred burial site for the demons of ancient Japan!"

"I was well aware," he said.

When Oryo spoke, her voice rattled with uncontrollable rage. "And now you have the nerve to show your face again and try to build those _things_!? You'll never get away with it!"

"As I said before," said Jack with an impatient tone, "You and your village would have no such luck in a second attempt. The only reason you were able shut down the dam project was because it was no skin off my nose. But now it is and I would prefer if you'd keep your crooked nose out of my affairs this time."

"Arrogance is not fitting for a fool, Lanyon!" spat the old woman with the fury of a demon.

"You should take your own advice," he retorted, "Don't do anything stupid and none of you will have to die."

There was a short pause. Oryo seemed to be too outraged for words.

"You wouldn't dare…" she hissed slowly, "The government would never allow you to…"

"Your government doesn't have to know," said Jack sinisterly, "Face it; it's my word against yours. Do you think they'll listen to you: a crazed old hag who spends the last of her days barking empty threats and cursing under her breath while wielding an authority that goes no further than this little town, or do you think they'll listen to me: a man who has power throughout all of the world."

Oryo was about to rebuttal but suddenly a large pale soldier walked right in front of Mion- not even glancing at her- and stepped into the kitchen.

"Сэр, он - не где быть найденным," said the soldier in heavy Russian.

Mion leaned in closer to the wall, unsure if the guard was speaking a different language or just mumbling. But Jack responded in the same foreign tongue.

"Cпасибо Gorgenauv, [Thank you, Gorgenauv]," he said to the soldier. Mion heard the scuffling of feet as Jack and her grandmother stood from their seated positions. She could just barely see their silhouettes from behind the thin walls. Jack put his rimmed-hat back on his head and motioned for the soldier to leave them. He did so, walking past Mion as if she were invisible.

"Oryo-sama, the reason I have intruded upon your humble abode tonight is that me and my men are searching for the missing Irie brothers that disappeared about a week ago and I have received a tip off that your family is holding one of them here," Jack said in a business-like tone, "Is this true?"

"No, of course not!" bellowed Oryo furiously, "The Sonozaki family are noble leaders of the village, not crime lords such as yourself! Now, get out of my house before I find my katana!"

Jack seemed to find her threat amusing. "Heh, heh. All right old woman, I'll leave. Just one more thing I should mention before I go. Should I discover that your family or anybody in this village is tampering with my towers, the consequences would be… _severe_. Am I clear?"

"As I said before…" breathed the old woman wrathfully, "Arrogance is not fitting for a fool."

Jack chuckled coolly at her remark. "Nor are threats fitting for a tired old hag," he said to her as he picked up his briefcase, "Just remember what I said and if you do happen to see one of the Irie brothers, please notify the police as soon as you can."

Mion heard his footsteps draw nearer to her and she immediately stood up from her crouched position and pretended to just be passing by the kitchen door as Jack walked out. He brushed past her and stepped out the front door where his soldiers were already gathered. Oryo shuffled out of the kitchen and watched them drive away down the road in their big white van.

"What was that about?" Mion inquired to the older woman.

"That wretched man just showed up and started searching the place," she said ruefully, "He was looking for that Ken Irie boy but Kasai took him to the 'tool shed' before they could find him."

There was a short pause. Oryo seemed to be deep in thought.

"What is it Oni-baba?" she asked.

"Mion, go call the head families," ordered the old woman as she turned her heels and slowly limped inside, "We have much to discuss."

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Yaaay! Ch. 20 is up at last!!

Yeah, I lied about not being able to update for a while. Well… I guess it wasn't so much of a lie as it was a misconception on my part. Any who… this chapter was pretty fun. I was going to make this one much, much, much, much longer but right now I'm tired and I actually do have to get studying so I want to get this out there so I don't have to be distracted by it.

Okay! I think I have finally come up with a semi-accurate calculation as to how many chapters we have left until the end chapters. (by end chapters, I mean the chapters that are all about this story's epic conclusion). I would say there are about 5-7 more normal chapters left to go and if you include the end chapters I'd say 9-10 chapters left to go.

Don't forget to leave a comment.


	21. Chapter 20: Old Man Hiroaki

Chapter 20: Old Man Hiroaki

Keiichi and the three older men hopped into Tony's very expensive looking, black finish Benz after loading the car with a small blue cooler that separated Keiichi from Eric in the back seat while Akasaka sat in the passenger seat next to Tony who was driving the car. Keiichi decided he'd show Eric Ryuu's the letter now.

He glanced at it briefly with disinterest. "Well, can't say I'm surprised," he said as Tony was pulling out of the school grounds, "But this does raise a few interesting questions."

Tony glanced at him through the rear view mirror. "Like?"

"Like: how did Ryuu manage to escape from the asylum?"

"I found a pocket knife sealed in one of the letters," Keiichi informed, shivering a bit as he recalled the bloody scent it had given off, "It was covered in blood."

"That's interesting. Was it attached to this letter?" queried Eric.

"Yeah, the paper was wrapped around it like wrapping paper or something so I'm guessing the guy writing the letters gave him the knife."

"Probably," agreed Eric, "I'm guessing you don't know who wrote them though."

"I know his name- it was on the bottom of every letter. It's Masato. Have you ever heard of him?"

Eric shook his head. "Can't say that I have."

"In most of his letters he seemed pretty friendly," continued Keiichi, "He would ask Ryuu how he was and stuff like that but the last few of them were weird. He still acted friendly but he started preaching violence to him and stuff. Told him it was the only way to get out of the asylum."

Akasaka twisted his waist around in his seat to face the two of them. "Yeah, but there's still the question of how he was able to kill four-hundred people. That's just not humanly possible."

Eric's mouth cracked into a thin smile. "Well then the only conclusion is, we're dealing with someone who isn't entirely human…"

"What you mean Ryuu?" Keiichi said with a disbelieving chuckle, "Do you think he's an alien or something like that?"

"Well no. I don't believe _you're_ an alien and since the two of you are twins that means neither of you can be aliens," he said bluntly.

Keiichi stiffened. That wasn't the kind of answer he was expecting at all.

"No… something happened to your brother in that asylum," Eric said in a thoughtful tone, "…Something that changed him completely."

Tony made a low whistling noise and looked at Eric with a disbelieving look in his eye. "God damn conspirator," he scoffed in his mousey voice, "If you're serious about this Eric than can we please remain practical? We're dealing with a psychopath not the antichrist."

"I never said he was the antichrist," chided Eric, "But he isn't a normal teenage boy. How else would you explain his miraculous escape from a high-security facility?"

Tony shook his head on an incredulous laugh, staring at Eric through the rear view mirror with an amused expression. "I don't know!" he chortled exasperatedly, "But I'm not going to start jumping to half-assed theories like that! It could have been an inside job or something."

"Why would someone help Ryuu escape from prison and then let him run loose?" Keiichi pointed out skeptically.

"Look, just save all your questions for Dorian," said Tony irritably, "In the meantime, would you please just stay quiet for the next two hours."

______________________________________________________________________________

The sun began to set over Hinamizawa as Ryuu sat alone in the junkyard, staring absently at a peculiar piece of junk inside Rena's trailer where he lay. He had come here in hopes of finding her scavenging for more garbage or maybe just sitting inside the trailer. But alas, he was quite alone inside the trailer's confines with nothing but a lone cicada to keep him company. In his hand were the incriminating letters Keiichi had stumbled upon and no doubt had already read.

Keiichi had not come home today… and Ryuu thought he knew why. He had run away from him. He was scared of him just like everybody else in the world. When he had returned to the village two months ago he had received nothing but terrified looks from other villagers he met on the road. Perhaps those were the villagers who recognized him and remembered what he had done. If so, they had a right to fear him. He had after all killed over twenty people in one day and butchered one innocent young girl.

He could hardly remember what had happened, he had tried so hard to forget and he found himself suddenly envying Mion's stroke of luck in losing all memory of that horrid day. He had gone to see a movie with Mion and one of their other friends, a young girl whose name he couldn't remember. She one of Mion's few friends. She didn't have many back then since her grandmother spent most of her time keeping her shut up in her house, training her to be the perfect Japanese woman.

What movie was it again? He couldn't remember the name; all he could remember was that it had been a terrifying one. That's why he had killed all those people. He was scared. The movie made him feel threatened. He could remember the voice in his head commanding him to kill everything that moved. He remembered the voice telling him the people sitting in the seats around him were out to get him. He did what he thought he had to to stay alive.

He could hear their tormented screams bounce off the walls of his memory. Echoing in his head in one shrill chorus of dying shouts. But loudest of all were Mion's pleas for mercy.

"_Stop it!"_

_"You're hurting her!"_

_"You're hurting _me_!"_

The '_her'_ she had spoken of was that young girl, her only friend aside from Ryuu. He had killed her too just before he slashed Mion's back open. He felt something warm and wet splash on his forearm, waking him from his memories.

He soon realized the streams of hot tears rolling down his cheeks and cascading down onto him. He wiped his eyes, snuffling as he tried to keep himself from crying out in anguish from what he'd done. Now that Keiichi had seen those letters, he knew it was only a matter of time before he told Mion about them which would surely jog her memory a bit, causing her to remember what Ryuu did.

Suddenly, he heard a soft voice call to him from out of his surroundings, causing his heart to skip a beat. "Ru-kun…" Rena said timidly from outside the trailer door, peering in at him while biting her thumb nervously.

He quickly grabbed the letters in his hands and shoved them in his pockets before she caught site of them. He took a deep, shaky breath and wiped his face of tears before speaking to her. "Hey Rena…" he said, trying to mask his trembling voice with a few coughs, "Sorry if I'm intruding or anything."

She smiled at him fondly. "But Rena told Ru-kun he could come and visit Rena's second home whenever he liked." He exchanged her warm look as she stepped into the trailer, dragging along a fresh piece of junk for her "treasure trove". "What do you got there?" he asked, trying to take his mind off of his painful memories.

"I don't know," she said proudly, holding up her latest treasure which looked like a lot like an iron lampshade, "But isn't it the cutest?!"

Ryuu laughed half-heartedly. "If you think so," he agreed with a forced smile. Rena's warm and cheerful face faltered when she saw Ryuu's troubled look.

"Ru-kun… what's wrong?" she asked in a caring tone as she neared him, looking down on his sad face.

"Nothing," he lied, trying to avoid her compassionate gaze. The warmness and softness of her eyes made him feel like he could tell her anything. He wanted to tell her exactly what he did, just to get it off his chest. But he couldn't.

Rena regarded him with suspicion. "When people say nothing, they really mean something. Don't they Ru-kun? Don't they?"

"Well, how should I know?" he asked, a little more angrily than he intended, causing her to recoil at the harshness of his voice.

She bit her thumb nervously again and looked away sadly. "If I'm bothering you Ru-kun, I'll leave," she said apologetically.

Ryuu shook his head. "No. It's not that. I'm just thinking about something that's been bugging me for… for a long time."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked with sincerity, making herself comfortable next to Ryuu.

"Well you see… have you ever done something kind of bad that nobody found out about?"

Rena paused a moment before answering with a thoughtful look on her face. "Uhhh… yeah!" she exclaimed in an almost proud fashion, "I've uh… took home Mii-chan's stuffed dolphin toy home once without asking and she still doesn't know it was me. Does that count?"

"Well… I meant something really bad…" Ryuu said, trying to think of an example other than "murder" so she wouldn't start getting suspicious, "like… stealing a lot of money or… beating somebody up real bad."

"I don't think so…" she said honestly.

"Well… I've done bad stuff like that…" he confessed, avoiding her eyes, afraid to see her reaction, "Worse stuff actually."

"Like what, Ru-kun?" she queried curiously.

Ryuu still didn't meet her gaze. "I can't tell you…" he said miserably.

"Why not?"

"B-because you'd hate me if I did."

"No I wouldn't," she stated simply, as if that were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You don't even know what it is I did yet," he chided.

"I don't have to," she said, "I like Ru-kun no matter what. Ru-kun's special to Rena."

That last sentence was enough to get him to look at her. He came face to face with her honest looking eyes and her comforting smile, suddenly making him aware of the red hot blush that was glowing under his eyes. "Are you sure you want to know?" he asked slowly.

She nodded to him and eagerly awaited his answer.

"Okay…" he took a deep, trembling breath, still not feeling sure about this, "I did a really bad thing. I k-k-k-killed a lot of people." He winced, half expecting her to run away at this point. But to his surprise she was still sitting next to him, her smile now gone but her eyes still held their compassionate look. "I killed over four hundred…" he continued, now feeling a bit more comfortable, "and I feel really bad about it. The first time I… I was just scared. I felt trapped and cornered and I had to do something even though now I know the people I- I hurt never meant me any harm. The second time I did it to escape from a really bad place. A place where I got hurt almost every day by bad people… But some of them were actually nice to me. I killed them too though. I can't even remember most of it… it was all a blur. It's not that I liked killing. I hate it! It's just whenever I feel scared it's the only thing my brain knows how to do!" His voice started rising. "And not only that! I did terrible things to Mion too! I hurt her really bad! I hurt her so bad she had to go to a psychiatrist for two whole years until one day she forgot all about me!" he grabbed a fistful of his hair and began pulling on it until it was in danger of being yanked from his scalp, "And now I think Keiichi knows and he ran away! He still hasn't come home after his meeting with Akira-sensei! I don't know what to do! My brain is telling me to… to do bad things again and I don't know what to do!"

There was a shot silence. Ryuu sat there with his eyes shut tight, just waiting for Rena to hit him or leave him like she should. He was dangerous and she knew that now. But… he heard no noise but the always relaxing cries of the cicadas. He couldn't hear Rena make any move to get up or hit him at all. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw Rena still staring at him, her eyes still full of the fondness and care for Ryuu they usually had.

"Are you sorry?" she asked after she and Ryuu sat in silence for a moment.

"Of course I am!" he exclaimed.

"Then why are you worried about it?" she asked, "You're sorry and that's all that matters."

"It's not that easy!" he argued, "These people are dead! They don't know that I'm sorry!"

"But you do," she pointed out, "Ru-kun knows what he did was a no-no and he'll never do it again. Right?"

He didn't know how to respond to her. How could she be so calm right now? She was sitting in an enclosed space with possibly the biggest mass murderer of all time and she didn't seem to care.

The sun began to set around them, casting a radiant orange glow as its bright light shone in from the trailer window and illuminated Rena's outline. She looked like an angel right now… and she had the heart to match.

"You really are a remarkable girl, Rena," he said, his voice trembling as he fought back tears of joy.

______________________________________________________________________________

Akasaka sighed in relief when he saw his destination coming up on the rough dirt trail that the three men and Keiichi had been hiking on for the past hour or so after parking the car a mile down the hill they were standing on now. He saw a traditional-styled Japanese gateway that was surrounded by a bunch of barren peach trees at the very top of the hill.

"Oh my God, yes!" he exclaimed exuberantly, raising his hands in the air in victorious praise, "At last! You guys! I can see it at the top of the hill!" He turned around and saw his other three traveling companions practically climbing up the hill with their tongues dangling numbly from their open mouths, panting like dogs left to lie out under the sun.

But when they heard his good news they immediately began clambering over one another to reach the top of the hill to where Akasaka was standing proudly. "You guys really need to run more," he chided as they ran past him to the gateway, "I hardly broke a sweat."

Tony rolled his eyes at him irritably. "Oh! Forgive us oh great one!" he begged melodramatically, "We are not worthy to stand in your mighty presence. Please forgive us and our puny little muscles, your manliness!"

Keiichi made an odd chocking sound, earning him a few concerned looks from his companions. "I'm trying to laugh but my lungs won't let me," he explained as he slowly trudged up the hill, leaning on his walking stick for support. "I wish you had told me this guy lives on top of friggin' Mount Fuji! I would never have agreed to come with you if I knew that."

"Oh, stop being a little baby girl," chided Akasaka, "This is nothing compared to the real Mount Fuji. You guys have only walked up like a mile."

"Oh! _Only_ a mile?!" exclaimed Eric in half laughter, "Only a mile… _uphill?"_

"Sh!" silenced Tony, still panting heavily, "We're here."

They finally crossed under the gateway, discovering that it led into a large stone courtyard that was completely surrounded by a thick barrier of barren peach trees. In the center of the courtyard was a lone peach tree standing separate from the others, also bare of its normally colorful pink leaves. And at the far end of the courtyard was a traditional Japanese style house with a simple patio in the front that sat in the shade of the green roof.

Keiichi's jaw dropped in amazement. Even now, in the middle of winter, this place looked absolutely beautiful. He could only imagine how breathtaking it must look when the peach trees were in full bloom.

"Are you sure we have the right place?" Eric asked in an astonished whisper.

Tony looked just as awestruck as the others. "I think so…"

Keiichi began walking forward absently, his eyes darting in all directions as he took in the beauty of the courtyard. As he approached the peach tree in the courtyard's center, he heard a relaxing gurgling sound, like rushing water washing down a rock. He soon discovered the source of the noise, a little pond that was hiding in the cover of the trees above it towards the edge of the courtyard. He glanced back at the older men who were currently arguing amongst themselves if they were sure this was the right place or not, the three of them crowded around a large traveling map with meticulous looks on their faces.

He decided there'd be no harm in taking a closer look at the pond. He stepped closer to it, quickly glancing at a small stone statue of Buddha that reflected in the water's surface. He looked into the waters and saw a pair of Koi-fish swimming about in the water.

_Crack_!

Keiichi heard the sound of a breaking twig, followed by something that sounded a lot like a silencing "Shhhhh!" coming from the trees around him. There was a rustling of leaves despite the lack of wind and Keiichi could have sworn he saw movement coming from beyond the trees.

He slowly retreated back to where his companions were still hovering over their map, arguing in hushed tones. "Hey… guys," he whispered urgently, lightly tapping Eric on the shoulder to grab his attention, "I think there's someone else here…"

"Well we figured that," retorted Tony sourly.

Akasaka's eyes suddenly became very acute and he made a silencing gesture with his hand. "Wait," he hissed, "...listen…"

Once the four of them had fallen silent the world around them became much louder, including the occasional sound of a breaking twig or of rustling leaves.

"Do you hear that?" whispered Akasaka.

"Probably just some squirrel," reasoned Tony, not sounding very confident about his explanation himself, "Just don't worry about—"

_Zip!_

Something just zipped right past Tony's right ear, missing his skin by less than a centimeter. That something was a wooden arrow. And it wasn't the last of them. Another one just like it flew right under Keiichi's arm from a completely different direction than its predecessor.

"Holy hell!" yelped Keiichi as he felt the arrow buzz right by him. "Run! Run!"

The other men didn't hesitate to take his advice. The guns they carried in their jacket pockets were useless when they couldn't see their enemy. Another arrow brushed past Eric's inner thigh, causing him to leap into the air in shock.

"Don't move!" bellowed a very forceful voice echoing from somewhere inside the trees. Suddenly, about six or seven men in dirty brown and gray kimonos and sheathed katanas slung around their waists emerged from the forest with their bows strung in their hands, ready to fire.

The four of them froze where they stood as they were ordered.

"Hands on your head," ordered one of the men, an older man with a shaved wrinkled old head and a wispy silver moustache that drooped down from above either sides of his mouth. He had fierce, youthful looking black eyes that made him look about twenty years younger. He was clearly the leader of the bunch considering he was the only one who showed his face, all the other men wore brown linen clothes that wrapped around their heads with a tiny gap in them so they could see.

Keiichi was so busy looking over these oddly dressed men he forgot to comply with the old man's most recent demand.

"Put your hands on your head!" barked the old man once again to Keiichi, pulling back on his bowstring threateningly. Quickly, Keiichi did as he was told, still keeping a wary eye on the men who were enclosing around the four of them.

The old man lowered his bow but his comrades kept theirs aimed readily for each of their heads. He slowly began moving towards Tony, looking at him with his white eyebrows raised skeptically.

"An American…" he observed, prodding Tony's face with the blunt end of his arrow, "What is your business here?"

Tony didn't answer him, he looked so terrified Keiichi thought he may pass out on the floor at any minute.

The old man grew irritated and flipped the bow around in his hand so the pointed end was facing Tony. "I asked you a question!" he bellowed.

Tony seemed to snap awake and immediately unintelligible words and sounds began tumbling out of his mouth. "Well I-I-I just… and I ran… down- I mean up the…"

"And what's this?" interrupted the old man as he felt a heavy lump in Tony's jacket pocket. He removed Tony's gun and looked at it with the utmost loathing. "Ah… so that's how it is…" he said in a dangerously low voice, "You came here to assassinate me haven't you?"

Tony looked at him pleadingly. "Oh! No, no, no, no, no, no!" he sputtered helplessly, "No! I don't even know who you are!"

"Are you telling me you and your friends here go around killing complete strangers!?" exclaimed the old man in outrage, "Have you no honor?!"

Tony seemed to only be making things worse for himself. "No! I meant I didn't come here to kill anybody!"

The old man laughed dubiously as he reached out and swiped Akasaka's pistol from his jacket pocket as well. "Ha! Then tell me why _all_ of you are carrying weapons!"

"It's just for—"

"No!" spat the old man, "I will hear no more of it!" He grabbed a fistful of Tony's black, untidy hair and forced his head to the stone floor, placing his boot on his back while hovering over him with his wrinkled old hands rested on the hilt of his sheathed katana.

Immediately, Keiichi saw what the old man had in mind. "No!" he cried in terror, feeling for his pistol but Eric shook his head at him with a grim face, silently telling him to be still.

Tony whimpered as he heard the sound of the old man ripping his glistening silver katana from its sheath, poising himself to swing down the blade on Tony's neck. The sun was just beginning to disappear behind the horizon, plunging the courtyard into a deep blood red. Keiichi watched with baited breath as the old man raised the katana high in the air and Tony seemed to be praying helplessly in his last moments of life.

There was the sound of the blade cutting the wind as he swung down his sword downward on Tony's exposed throat. Much to his surprise however, the blade stopped only a hair's breadth away from Tony's skin.

A wicked old smile appeared on the old man's wrinkled face as bent forward to meet Tony's terrified eyes, his boot still pressed firmly on Tony's back.

When the old man spoke again, it was in a much friendlier tone. "Gotcha'!"

Tony's eyes opened wide, as if he were just now realizing where he was. "Dorian…" he whispered in amazement, "Dorian Greene?"

"Bout' time you recognized me," he laughed as he sheathed his katana again, "Maybe I should've have cut off your head as punishment for not greeting me properly."

He stooped down and helped Tony stand up. "Oh well, I'm sorry," said Tony, his voice lathered in sarcasm, "I can't really think straight when arrows are zipping by my head and when some old loon has his foot on my back, about to chop of my head with a God Damn katana!"

The sun finally set around them, marking the end of the day and the start of the night.

Keiichi, Eric, and Akasaka all exchanged confused looks.

"I guess I went a little too far but you can't blame an old man for having some fun," he chuckled, "And by the way, my name is no longer Dorian Greene. It's Hiroaki! That's the Japanese name for strength!"

Tony scoffed at him. "Yeah, I'm just gonna call you Dorian," dismissed Tony.

The old man's eyes lit up with a fresh fury as he unsheathed his blade halfway. "It's Hiroaki!" he bellowed.

Tony leaped back in terror. "Okay! Okay! Whatever you say Hiroaki!" he squeaked in his little mousy voice.

Hiroaki sheathed his blade again, pleased by Tony's response. "I'm glad you have learned to show proper respect to your superiors, my old friend," he said with sudden congeniality, "Just for that, I'll let you and your friends come inside my house." He signaled to his men and they lowered their bows obediently. "Come, I'm sure you and your comrades have come here with questions for me."

"What gives you that idea?" asked Akasaka.

Hiroaki shrugged. "I can't think of any other reason why this guy," he motioned to Tony with his thumb, "would spend the past three years tracking me down."

Tony looked at him with wonderment. "How did you know I've been looking for you for that long?" he gasped.

"A friend of mine told me." He motioned to one of his men to approach and he obeyed silently.

Keiichi noticed something slightly familiar about his build.

"You all may reveal yourselves now," said the old man to his companions.

All of the men began undoing the linen cloth strips wrapped around their heads, slowly revealing their identities to them with each unraveling motion. And in addition to that, about a dozen other men began emerging from the trees, unraveling their masks like everyone else. The biggest shock though was when Keiichi noticed the face of the man Hiroaki had summoned.

"Tomitake!" Keiichi exclaimed, pointing to him with his mouth agape. It was in fact Jiro Tomitake standing before him a brow kimono. He suddenly looked a little awkward after revealing his face to them. Akasaka recognized him as well, which took him a while since neither he nor Keiichi had seen Jiro without his usual green hat and glasses, both of which were absent.

Hiroaki smiled at the two of them. "Yes, Jiro-san was taking a walk through the woods when he saw you coming up the hill," he said, "He alerted me first thing and me and a few of my friends hid in the trees and awaited your arrival."

Keiichi shot Tomitake an angry look. "You told him to shoot arrows at us?" he demanded crossly.

Tomitake shook his head with an uncomfortable grin on his face. "Now come on Maebarra-kun, what do you take me for?" he said with his usual chuckle, "Master Hiroaki doesn't like intruders so I had to tell him something."

Tony looked at Hiroaki with a raised eyebrow. "Master? Did he call you _Master_? What kind of sick place are you running here Dorian?"

"It's Hiroaki!" he corrected, unsheathing his katana halfway again in a threatening manner.

"Sorry! Sorry! Hiroaki!" yelped Tony, scurrying behind Akasaka's massive figure, "Just… what's going on here?"

"We'll have time for questions later," he said, once again sheathing his blade along with his fiery attitude, "We have time for that tomorrow. Tonight is a night of celebration!" He patted Tony on the back roughly with a hearty laugh. "Tonight, you are my guests! If I recall, Tony, I owe you a great deal for stepping in as my decoy for the past decade so as payment for your selfless deed you and your friends may stay as long as they wish."

"Well, we wish to be gone as soon as possible," Tony said irritably, "So if you could please just answer our questions and we'll be out of what's left of your hair."

Hiroaki laughed as he and Tomitake led Tony, Keiichi, Akasaka, and Eric to the front door. "No, but I insist!" he said pleasantly, "Plus, I'm afraid you will not be able to leave for at least another week."

The four of them looked at Hiroaki with astonished looks. "Why the hell not!?" they all exclaimed simultaneously.

Hiroaki's friendly face faltered, becoming suddenly very sullen and grave. "Lanyon," he answered simply, "He's been coming by here a lot lately and I don't think it's a good idea for too many people to be coming up and down the hill so frequently. He'd notice for sure and soon we'd have his men storming the place."

Tony sputtered indignantly. "But—"

"And don't even think of trying to leave before my saying so," Hiroaki interrupted sternly, "You've seen how my friends can work a bow. Don't give them a reason to shoot you."

Tony rolled his eyes at him as they stepped up onto the patio. "Don't flatter yourself. Not a single one of your arrows hit us."

Hiroaki turned to him with a sly smile on his face. "If we had actually been aiming at you, you wouldn't be around to make those snide remarks of yours."

"You weren't aiming for us?" implored Keiichi in amazement.

"No of course not. We were aiming _near_ you," sniggered Hiroaki, "Whenever some hiker or nosey kid comes climbing up that hill we always shoot stray shots like that to scare em' off. It works every time."

"Wouldn't they go tell the police after something like that?" Eric questioned.

The old man simply laughed at his query. "Are you kidding? People these days don't believe anything without seein' it first. No, policemen have never really been a bother for us."

Tony sneered at him while his back was turned. "Whatever. I still say your men are just bad shots."

"Believe what you want, Mr. Gilliam," he said grimly as he unlocked the front door of the house, "I just pray I never have to prove you wrong."

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A/N: I know what you're thinking. "Where's the disclaimer? Where'd it go?" The disclaimer is dead folks. I killed it with my own two hands. I got tired of trying to be clever every time I wrote one so I decided just to stop all together. So just know that I don't own Higurashi and that'll be enough for you.

Anyway, YAAY another OC! I'm sure some of you aren't too pleased about that. Sorry if you think I'm adding too many characters to the story. And I'd like to say that Hiroaki/Dorian is the last one I'll be adding but that'd be a lie. I think there will be one or two MINOR characters added. And don't you worry, I'm not just adding these OC's for my health. They actually have something to do with the story.

Don't forget to leave a comment.


	22. Chapter 21: That Damn Dam

Chapter 21: That Damn Dam

It was late at night and Mion still lay wide awake in her bedroom, holding the same porcelain doll Keiichi had given her for her birthday close to her chest, as if the doll were actually him. She really wanted to talk to him now. She felt so confused and scared. She had just woken from another nightmare, the same one she'd been having for the past few weeks involving a somehow familiar boy standing above her, glaring intensely into her with his menacing red eyes. Just the thought of it caused her to squeeze the doll involuntarily and quickly scan her surroundings for the red eyed boy in an instance of panic.

She thought of calling his house but it was too late for that, he was probably already asleep and this wasn't an urgent call or anything. She didn't want to worsen his already perpetually bitter attitude. But she needed someone to talk to and Shion was still missing and the rest of her family was still gathered in the dining hall with the other head families, discussing Jack's most recent activities. She had heard her grandmother insist time and time again that they take action against him by taking down the siren towers by force but the rest of the council saw no reason to.

"Those towers aren't hurting anyone," argued the elderly village chief, Kimiyoshi, "Leave them be Oryo-sama. This village has been through enough without another uprising like the last time. Besides, I don't see how they threaten the villagers in any way."

Mion could just barely hear their voices from her room and she had to side with Kimiyoshi on this one. She too got a bad vibe whenever she fell under the menacing shadow of those towers but they posed no visible threat. If anything, they would be there to help the villagers and alert them in times of peril. She couldn't imagine any other use for a siren tower.

Her grandmother's voice was crystal clear from Mion's room when she spoke considering how loud her voice was. "What bothers me is that Lanyon refused to tell me what they were for!" barked the old woman bitterly, "It's all very suspicious."

"We need a reason before we do something as rash as you are suggesting, Sonozaki-sama," said a cool female voice respectfully, "Mr. Lanyon has clearance from the government to construct those towers. Taking them down without cause would only damage our already poor relationship with parliament."

"To hell with all those damn politicians!" Oryo hissed, "I'm sure you recall how 'helpful' they were when Jack tried building the dam here and flush our homes away like it didn't even matter! It was like they didn't care! Lanyon and his goons broke countless laws trying to build that thing and it took a group of pissed off villagers to make them realize that Jack was out of line!"

Kimiyoshi spoke again in his usually soft voice. "I just don't want any more bloodshed, Oryo-sama. Last time the village had an uprising it divided the villagers in two. And if I remember correctly, Oryo," his voice suddenly became much more rigid and strict, "your vendetta against the Hojos lasted long after the resistance was disbanded. Satoshi and Satoko Hojo suffered a great deal of discrimination thanks to you."

"Oh come off it! You were just as outspoken against that family as I was!" argued Oryo with outrage in her voice, "At least _I_ had the sense to put an end to their 'discrimination'."

Kimiyoshi did not argue with her, he fell silent while another man spoke up. "Sonozaki-sama," said the man softly, "Please don't trouble yourself with this. You have a missing granddaughter to worry about. If anything, that should be the topic of this meeting tonight. I for one am very worried about her and the Irie brother's whereabouts."

"Yes," agreed the other woman, "Today, a shipment of influenza vaccines arrived at the Irie clinic but now we have no one to administer them to the villagers."

"The police took care of the vaccines," informed Kimiyoshi, "They assured me they had a few good men around the station who are perfectly capable of giving shots. Starting tomorrow they'll be administering them to the villagers outside the Irie clinic for free."

"Could we please stay on topic!?" interrupted Oryo robustly.

"There is no topic worth discussing tonight Oryo-sama," said Kimiyoshi in a soft yet still very harsh tone, "As we have said already, you should be worrying about your granddaughter. Not wasting your time with these towers."

When her grandmother spoke next, it was in a sad and delicate voice she so rarely heard her speak in. "I'm worried enough for Shion," she said, so quietly Mion could hardly hear her, "But I know Jack is linked to her kidnapping."

There was a sudden movement coming from the dining hall, apparently the old woman had aroused the council's interest. "Do you have proof? Or is this just another one of your unprecedented 'gut-feelings'?" said one of the council members in a skeptical tone.

"A little bit of both," she answered, "My granddaughter frequently visits the Irie clinic in her spare time. Sometimes she spends her entire day there." She spoke with a fondness in her voice she would never have used in front of Mion or her twin sister. "I don't know why. But the point is she went missing at around the same time the Irie brothers did. I'm sure they were all kidnapped at the same time and at the same place- that place being the Irie clinic of course. And we have one of the Irie brothers here, the youngest one named Ken."

"What!?" cried Kimiyoshi in alarm, "_You_ kidnapped them?"

"No of course not!" objected Oryo, "Mion and her friends carried him home one afternoon. The boy was unconscious and practically bleeding to death before Kasai patched up his bullet wound."

"Bullet wound?"

"Let me finish!" snapped Oryo angrily, "Anyway… Jack barged into my house one evening and told me he got a tip off we were hiding him here. He was most anxious to find him and take him to a professional hospital but I don't by it. He just doesn't want Ken waking up so he can tell everybody who took his brothers and my granddaughter."

Oryo concluded her speech in a satisfied tone, as if this settled the matter once and for all. "That still isn't enough to prove Jack took Shion but at least you have some reason for suspecting him this time," said one of the council members.

"Still," added Kimiyoshi firmly, "Even if we do prove Jack is the kidnapper it still holds no relevance to the siren towers."

"Perhaps," Oryo admitted, "But it's just a matter of time until—"

_Ring, ring, ring!_

Mion's heart skipped a beat as her senses were assaulted by the sudden ringing of the telephone sitting next to her on her night stand. She decided she'd better not answer it; she didn't want Oryo to know she was awake and listening to their meeting when she was strictly told to go straight to bed. She decided she'd let them get it.

She heard her mother answer the phone. "Hello?...... Maebarra-kun?! Why are you calling this late? Is something wrong?"

Mion shot up from her bed, sending her porcelain doll flying across the room in the process.

"No, no. I'm sorry Keiichi. Mion's asleep right now."

Keiichi moaned sadly on the other end. "_All right, sorry to trouble you. Can you just tell her…"_

Mion snatched up the phone from her night stand. "Mom! Off the phone!" she ordered.

Both Keiichi and her mother heard her voice from the phone. "Mion?" they said in unison.

"Mom! Off the phone _now!"_ she insisted yet again.

"All right, all right… but don't stay on the phone for too long Mion, you need your rest."

And with that, Akane hung up her phone, leaving Keiichi and Mion alone on the line.

"Hey Kei-chan," she greeted fondly into the receiver, "Why are you calling so late?"

When Keiichi spoke, she heard the definite sound of festive music in the background. "_I just wanted to tell you that I'm not going to be around for the next few days or so,"_ he said loudly, trying to talk over the music that surrounded him.

Mion's back suddenly stiffened in alarm. "What? Why? Where are you gonna be?"

"_Uh… I'm gonna be out for a while," _Keiichi said, cursing his poor lying ability in the back of his mind, _"I'm looking at colleges with Eri—I mean Akira-sensei!"_

"Colleges?" Mion sounded a little confused by his words. "A-are you planning on leaving the village, Keiichi?" Her heart stopped as she awaited his answer. _"Is he going to be leaving… me?"_ she thought in her head fearfully.

Keiichi didn't respond to the question immediately, as if he were unsure of the answer himself. "_Yeah… I guess so,"_ he finally said, _"I mean, there aren't really any colleges or universities in Hinamizawa or Shishibone. Not any good ones anyway."_

His answer felt like a powerful blow to the gut, knocking the wind out of her chest and making her eyes well up with tears as horrible realization dawned on her. She had never really taken much time to think about what would happen after they all graduated from school. Mion knew she'd stay home and wait just for her grandmother to pass away and leave her the family to run as she was destined to do since birth. But she had always thought her friends would stay with her forever. She never anticipated even for an instant she'd have to say goodbye to some of them one day.

Keiichi spoke with worry in his voice when Mion made no reply. "_Mion?" _

"Hm?" She fought hard to mask her quivering voice from him.

"_You okay?"_

"I'm fine." Her choked-up voice said otherwise. "This old man is just really tired. Have you told Ryuu yet?"

"_No, the phone just kept on ringing. I guess he's asleep,_" deduced Keiichi, _"I was hoping you'd tell him for me tomorrow, along with Chie-sensei. Since Akira-sensei won't be around she has the class all to herself for a little while."_

"Okay, fine," she said, slowly regaining her tom-boyish composure, "But you sure are gonna be missing out Keiichi. We all get to get flu shots tomorrow for free!"

Keiichi laughed at the sarcasm he detected in her voice. "_Aren't you lucky!"_ he said with a maniacal cackle, _"I guess you'll have to nurse me back to health once I get the flu."_

"Ha! Well just try not to get sick until you get back. I want to be the only one to take care of you."

"_No objections here,"_ said Keiichi loudly, his voice rising as he tried to speak over the very celebratory music, "_As a matter of fact, I wouldn't mind if you took care of me for the rest of my…" _

Suddenly, Mion heard her mother's voice from outside her bedroom door. "Mion!" she called, "Time's up. Tell Keiichi you have to go to bed and you'll talk to him in the morning."

"But-"

"Now young lady!" barked her mother irritably, "It's one in the morning and you have to get up for school tomorrow!"

Mion grumbled angrily under her breath. "Fine…" she murmured in defeat, "Hey Keiichi. I have to go. My mom's about to have a conniption."

"_Oh, okay…"_ Keiichi said, a little crestfallen, "_I'll call you tomorrow then okay?"_

"I'll be looking forward to it," she said with a warm smile, "But don't call this late next time okay?"

"_Deal."_

"See you later then."

And with that she hung up the phone.

Meanwhile, Keiichi was sitting down in Hiroaki's stone courtyard, sporting a dark gray kimono Hiroaki had given to him. He and about fifty other men, all sporting the same brown and gray kimonos, were gathered around a small fire that was encircled by a few crudely crafted wooden tables that were garnished with a whole mess of mouth-watering delicacies and treats. Most of the men around him had forgotten about the food and went straight for the sake and whisky. Now they were all merry with drink, laughing and singing along to the festive melody played by Hiroaki on his sitar which he was miraculously able to play using nothing but his toes while he drained a glass of sake in one gulp, raising the empty glass in the air with a triumphant smile that earned him many jeers and applauses from his friends.

Keiichi turned to Eric, who was one of the few sober people left, and handed back the cell phone he had let Keiichi borrow to call Mion. "Thanks," he said, not bothering to talk over the music anymore.

Eric took his phone and pocketed it absently, his eyes fixed on Tony and Akasaka who had joined a few other men in a drunken chorus line, dancing and singing to the music with a wide smile on their faces. It seemed that Eric, Keiichi, and Hiroaki were the only ones still sitting down.

Hiroaki gave them a toothy smile. "Why so somber boys?" he asked as he filled up another glass of sake while skillfully strumming the sitar strings with his wrinkled old toes, "Why don't the two of you get up and join your friends?"

"They're not my friends," objected Eric and Keiichi in unison.

The old man seemed a little annoyed by their sour behavior, his friendly smile fading away as a stern look took its place. "Any reason why you two are acting so bitter?" he asked.

"I'm just tired," Keiichi said, glancing at his watch, "It's almost 1:30 in the morning."

Eric, however, had different reasons for being upset. "With all due respect Hiroaki, we didn't come here to celebrate and get drunk off sake and beer. We came here to get some of our questions answered."

"I told you there'd be time for that in the morning," the old man stated, as if that settled the matter, "Besides, you're gonna be here for a week or two-- might as well have some fun while you're stuck here."

"As I said before," began Eric impatiently, "We didn't come all the way up this mountain for _'fun_' or for booze. We came here so you could help us bring down Jack."

Hiroaki rolled his eyes and dismissed Eric's complaints with a slight wave of his hand. "I know, I know. But can't that wait? Even after I answer all your questions, you'll still have to stay here for a while whether you like it or not. Now why don't you get up, have a few drinks, and forget about your questions for a while? Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"I don't drink," protested Eric in his detached voice.

Hiroaki smiled at him slyly. "No time like the present," he snickered, removing another shot glass from his sleeve and filling it to the brim with his beloved sake. "Tell you what I'll do. I'll answer all your questions right here and right now if you just come over here and have a few drinks with me after you're done with your little interrogation," he proposed, still creating beautiful music with his sitar using nothing but his toes, "Sound good?"

Eric's face reddened with fury, outraged by the terms he had been given. It took a long time for him to say anything; he seemed to be wrestling with himself over the matter as his face became redder and redder. "Fine," he spat, "But you better answer _all_ my questions!"

"Trust me, I will. Fire away," he refreshed his glass of sake as he prepared for Eric's oncoming barrage of questions.

"Tell us why you left Lanyon," Eric said.

Hiroaki's face hardened at the mention of Jack's surname. "I didn't like what he was doing;" said the old man, his eyes suddenly becoming unfocused and distant, "or more appropriately, I didn't like what he was planning to do."

"What was he planning on doing?" Keiichi inquired eagerly, captivated by the old man's suddenly mystic sounding voice.

"I'm not entirely sure but I was able to see it was no good," said Hiroaki as he suddenly ceased to play his music, "It involved the demons of Hinamizawa which I'm sure the two of you hold some familiarity with."

Keiichi scoffed in disbelief. "That's just a legend," he said, more to himself than to anyone else.

Hiroaki's face suddenly became rigid and very grim, giving him an eerie skeletal like appearance that made the hairs on the back of Keiichi's neck stand on end. When the old man spoke next it was in a very grave voice that seemed to drown out the drunken cheers of the other men despite the fact he was hardly speaking above a whisper. "Oh… you couldn't be more wrong…" he said ominously, "The fables you have heard about them may be exaggerated at parts but they hold an invaluable truth: Hinamizawa is indeed a cursed village." He leaned forward even further; casting a dark shadow over his sunken eyes and cheeks as he inched away from the fire's light, giving him an unnervingly gaunt appearance. "Jiro Tomitake has already informed me that you know of the Syndrome. You do know about the Hinamizawa Syndrome don't you?"

Keiichi and Eric could only nod feebly, starting to feel a little intimidated under Hiroaki's severe looking face.

"The Syndrome is not only just a virus," continued the old man, "It is a parasite- a living organism inside every single human being born in Hinamizawa that is constantly trying to fully envelop its host's mind and take full control over the body. This parasite feeds off of a sound wave Jack called _Echo_ that I guess only exists in Hinamizawa which would explain why this village has been deemed '_cursed'_."

"So you're saying that this _Echo_ thing is what causes the Syndrome to progress in stages?" questioned Eric with a hint of skepticism in his voice, "If that's true how come the whole village hasn't succumbed to the symptoms."

"Jack discovered that there was a sound wave emitting from an unknown source within the village that countered _Echo's_ affects," explained Hiroaki, "At the time I knew him, he had no idea where the other sound was coming from. He would spend full nights trying to discover its source. At first I thought he was doing it purely for the sake of science but then I noticed Jack started dealing with shady characters like that American, General Blaze." Hiroaki picked up his shot glass and began draining its contents into his mouth.

"Didn't he start working with Blaze around the time he started building the dam?" asked Keiichi.

Suddenly, Hiroaki spat a mouthful of sake onto Keiichi's, failing to contain a hysterical fit of laughter that was aroused with his question. Keiichi winced when he smelt the sake's bitter scent clinging to his skin, glowering at Hiroaki as he slapped his knee in a fit of laughter. "What's so funny?" seethed Keiichi, trying to bottle his anger.

"The dam!" laughed the old man, "I completely forgot about that! HA HA HA!"

Keiichi took a deep breath, trying his hardest to resist the murderous urge he had to strangle the old man on the spot. He waited patiently for Hiroaki to stop laughing, and when he finally did he asked him his question again. "What's so funny?" he repeated in a dangerously low voice.

"There…*gasp*… was never any dam…" he said, out of breath from all his laughter.

Eric's eyes widened with astonishment upon hearing his answer. "What?!" he exclaimed.

The old man still seemed to be having trouble containing his amusement. "The dam was a lie… a cover up… Jack never had any intention of building one. In case you didn't know, Jack tried to build the 'dam' over the ancient burial grounds of Hinamizawa's fabled demons," he refilled his shot glass and took a quick sip before continuing, "There was never a dam project. It was an excavation project. He was looking for the remains of these so-called 'demons'."

"Did he find any?" Keiichi asked as he was wiping his face dry, using his kimono's long and baggy sleeve as a towel.

Hiroaki's amused expression suddenly became sober and stern again. "Yes…" he answered gravely, "He found just what he was looking for deep under the construction site. He believed these demons to be the ancestors of all the Hinamizawans just as the old legends say. He believed that demon blood ran through their veins and he thought he could reawaken the demon within the villagers. And use them as a weapon."

Keiichi stiffened. He could hardly believe it… all this time he had been telling himself the demons were all just a myth. But now he knew the truth-- the horrid, mind boggling truth. He tried to deny it in his head but it all fit. It explained the village's mysterious origin, it explained the dam project, and it also explained why Jack had written Hinamizawa down in big letters in the pages of his demon sketch-book. He must've written that down as a note after he discovered where he would find the demon's remains.

Eric leaned forward with a rare look of genuine interest plastered on his face. "So that's why General Blaze helped pay for the Jack's '_dam_' construction…" he said thoughtfully, "Jack probably promised he would sell the demon-villagers to him so he could use them as a weapon against the Russians. It all makes sense."

Hiroaki nodded sadly. "Yes… in all my years of working with Lanyon I discovered that the Syndrome actually could go above L5- it just never went that high because _Echo's_ counter-sound stopped the virus from going any further. But the levels past L5 send the host into a state of paranoia so severe that all of his or her primal instincts reawaken, making them amazingly flexible, dexterous, and not to mention strong. And L7, the last stage of the virus, is when the parasite takes full control, literally transforming the host into a demon like creature with horns and everything."

"_Just like in Jack's sketchbook," _thought Keiichi in horror.

"From what Jack told me," continued the old man, "it would take a whole army to take down just a handful of these demon creatures… let's just pray that never has to happen."

There was a long silence as Hiroaki gave the two of them time to take in all of this information. Suddenly, Eric stood up with another question. "Wait! How long does it take for virus to reach L7?!"

Hiroaki had to think about that for a second. "Hmmm…. If it weren't for _Echo's _counter-sound, it would probably take about six… maybe seven years for a person to go from L1 to L7," he estimated in a thoughtful tone.

"Then… what would happen if _Echo's_ sound wave were played like… ten times louder than normal?"

Keiichi quickly looked up at Eric, immediately recognizing what this question was about. _"That's right…_" he thought to himself, _"The siren-towers…"_

Hiroaki looked a little confused by the question, but all the same he continued to make an educated guess. "I'd say it would speed up the Syndrome's progression significantly… it would probably only take about seven minutes to reach L7." He looked amused by Eric's suddenly alarmed expression. "You don't have to worry about that though, my good friend. There's no way _Echo_ would just spontaneously have an increase in volume like that."

"You haven't been to the village in a long time, have you Hiroaki?" asked Keiichi, "Jack's been building siren towers all around the village's roads. I think he's planning to use them to amplify _Echo_."

The old man's face fell. "Oh…" he said, suddenly showing a hint of worry behind his youthful eyes, "…well. You still don't have to worry. I doubt Jack has discovered what Echo's counter-sound is yet and I doubt he ever will. So long as that sound wave hasn't been destroyed, _Echo_ will never be able to push the virus to L7. I can guarantee you that." He smiled warmly at them again, picking his sitar back up and grasping it with his toes as he poured two more glasses of sake. "And now…" he said as he began playing again, "…you must uphold your end of the bargain, Mr. Stride." He held out the shot glass for Eric to take. "Forget about your worries."

Eric regarded the sake with disgust but, being a gentleman, he couldn't dismiss the bargain he had made. He took the shot glass in his hands and drained it with one gulp.

Eric's eyes shot open as his taste buds did a summersault in his mouth.

The old man shot him a knowing smile. "How d'ya like it?" he asked.

Eric responded by holding out the shot glass, silently demanding it be refilled. Hiroaki happily complied, refilling Eric's glass to the brim again. Eric gulped it down in an instant, holding out his shot glass yet again for a third helping.

Keiichi could now see why Eric was so reluctant to drink the sake in the first place because after about two more cups he had sprung up and joined the other men in their drunken dance. Soon, Keiichi was intoxicated with the infectious festive atmosphere as he too joined Eric and the others in their chorus line, forgetting his troubles like Hiroaki had so sagely suggested.

"Forget about your worries, my friends," said Hiroaki with a sad smile as he strummed away at his sitar, "…while you still have the chance."

As the sun dawned that morning, the cicadas were unusually loud. They let out a fearful cry for help as they flew over the sinister siren-towers that plagued their village.

The cicadas knew that their end drew near… but they weren't going out without a fight.

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A/N: Another illuminating chapter complete! Hurrah! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I felt it was pretty nice… BUT… my opinion counts for nothing. It is you- yes, you, dearest reader- whose opinion matters most. Tell me what you thought.

P.S: Okayz, I know there was a lot of drinking in this chapter and I want to say this now so I'm not patronized for it later. I do not, in any way, believe that drinking booze is a good way to "forget your troubles" as Hiroaki said. He's just a silly old man. Also, I really do have to start studying now. I've only studied for like an hour so I'm not going to be writing any new chapters for about a week. But I promise I'll try to finish the story before the end of June unless something comes up.

Don't forget to leave a comment. :D


	23. Chapter 22: Corruption in the UN

**A/N: Okee-dokee, a few OC's added in this chapter but you'll hardly hear from them… actually they will be kind of frequent characters towards the end chapters but they're important.**

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Chapter 22: Corruption in the U.N

**United Nations Meeting; London, England; 11:04 am **

John Withers, a young American man who had the privilege of representing his country in the United Nations council, was forcefully washed into the large conference room by the crowd of formally dressed men and women, most of them wearing expensive suits and ties. Clinging on to his little black briefcase for dear life and adjusting his glasses to ensure they would remain sitting on the bridge of his nose, he quickly located the long table assigned to the members of the United States and chose a seat next to President Ronald Reagan.

"Good morning, sir," he greeted formally as he sat his briefcase down in the gap between their two chairs, "Nice day today, isn't it sir?"

"Well, it's England…" grumbled the President nonchalantly, "weather's never especially nice around here is it?"

John tried to fake a hearty laugh, too embarrassed and nervous to find amusement in any situation right now. "Too true," he said nervously, tugging on the collar of his white button-up shirt that was layered beneath his navy blue dress jacket, "How do you feel today, sir?"

He answered without making any eye contact with his colleague. "Tired… but I guess we have to do what has to be done. I bet you anything those damn Commies are responsible for Blaze's disappearance."

"Uh…" stammered John nervously, "But sir… the Russians just lost one of _their_ Generals too. They both vanished when they visited Shishibone city in Japan."

Reagan shrugged. "Well, I guess we'll find out who the culprit us today. Oh look… there they are now."

The room suddenly became hushed as the man Reagan had indicated to, entered the room trailed by five other men, some of them soldiers. The leader of these men was Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov, the current leader of Soviet Russia. Andropov's gaze locked with Reagan for one intense moment, both of their eyes full of enmity for one another. The Russians sat at the opposite side of the room from the Americans, giving both groups a good view of each other so they could thoroughly examine their enemies from a distance.

The rest of the American representatives entered the room, including a former U.S Marine, Greg Fears, who was also a close friend of John. "Did we miss anything?" he whispered in John's ear as he took the seat to John's right.

"No, we're still waiting on Lanyon's goons," John filled in, drumming his fingers on the table.

Greg nodded in acknowledgement, looking a little annoyed by something. "I can't believe they have their own table at the United Nations conferences! They're not even a nation."

"Yeah, but almost every nation in the world relies on his weapons manufacturing. You know what Eric told us," said John in a hushed voice so the President didn't hear them, "That bastard is selling to us _and_ the Russians. There's something wrong there."

"I hear ya'," agreed Greg, "And speak of the devil, here they come."

Finally, Jack's men entered the room, late as usual. Their leader, a tall British man by the name of James Wesker, whom John had the misfortune of meeting several times before, shot John his usual self-important sneer as he and his colleagues took their seats.

Finally, the meeting began.

The Prime Minister of England spoke up. "I call this meeting of the United Nations to order to discuss a very disturbing development occurring in the nation of Japan. The Japanese representatives are on temporary suspension from the United Nations council until further notice. In addition to this, we also have representatives from the United States joining us today as temporary members of the council since this is a matter that concerns them as well," informed the aged Minister, "This meeting was called by Dr. Lanyon, who unfortunately is unable to join us today. Instead, Mr. James Wesker, will speak on his behalf. You have the floor, Mr. Wesker."

"Thank you, Minister," said James, "Ladies and gentlemen, I will not bore you with unnecessary preambles to my speech. Rather, I shall get straight to the point. I'm sure most of you remember Dr. Lanyon's most recent discovery involving the nuclear weapons development that is currently taking place in one of Japan's smaller islands-"

John accidently let a disbelieving grumble escape his lips, suddenly shrinking back as all eyes in the room turned on him.

James looked at him with a disgusted look in his eye. "Is there a problem, Mr. Withers?" he asked with a blatant coldness in his voice.

John could only shake his head, afraid to speak his mind with so many people staring at him. "J-just a cough…" he mumbled.

"Perhaps a drink of water would help," suggested James callously, "As I was saying…"

John hung his head, shame-faced and crestfallen at his own inability to speak his mind. Greg shot him a reassuring smile before leaning in to his microphone and cutting James off. "What proof do you have of Japan's 'nuclear weapons development', Mr. Wesker?" he asked, not even bothering to hide his skepticism.

James looked completely outraged at being interrupted, his mouth opening and closing in exasperation. "General Fears, is it?" he addressed with venomous voice, "I understand that you are new to how the United Nations operates within our meetings but I am sure that, even in America, it is not considered polite to interrupt others while they speak."

"What do you mean by '_even_ in America'?!" demanded Greg, his eyes flaring up dangerously.

There was a deadly silence in the room. "Let it go, General," advised Reagan in a whisper.

Greg kept his eyes glued on James as if he was telepathically sending him death threats with his mind but nevertheless he fell silent as he was instructed. John knew that if they were not currently honored "guests" at the United Nations council, Greg would have ripped James's arm off and impaled him with it.

"He does have a point though, Mr. Wesker," said one of the ambassadors from Germany, "I don't think we ever saw any proof of Dr. Lanyon's claim."

"Yes- well, unfortunately Dr. Lanyon was unable to obtain any photographic evidence because; as I'm sure you'll understand, security is very tight around the island where we suspect the nukes to be."

"_Suspect_?" echoed Andropov with a raised eyebrow, "Do you have any evidence at all?"

"None that we could show you, I'm afraid," answered James, "but I would think that the disappearances General Dyakov and General Blaze's would be enough to arouse suspicion?"

"Are you suggesting that it was the Japanese who abducted those two?" asked Reagan with interest.

"Yes, it'd make perfect sense," James answered with a serpentine smile, "I'm sure you and Chairman Andropov are busy pointing your fingers at each other but I find it very unlikely that they _both_ of those men kidnapped the other. Who else could be responsible for this other than the Japanese?"

Greg spoke up again, with refreshed fervor in his voice. "Isn't Japan one of your company's major trading partners? Wouldn't it hurt Lanyon's business a great deal if he were to sell out one of his best financial supporters?"

"Dr. Lanyon has other motives besides money, General," retorted James, "He cares about the wellbeing of all nations and all peoples, not just himself and his business."

John tried to hold back another dubious scoff. Jack and compassion just didn't match up at all. If Jack cared about all people he wouldn't be trying to fuel the Cold War by supplying America and Russia with the weapons necessary to continue this war of arms.

In the end, most of the politics and representatives agreed that, in light of recent events, Japan would remain suspended from the U.N and would be watched closely by its fellow nations until they could get to the bottom of this.

After the meeting was adjourned, Greg dragged John to a little office in the corridor outside the conference room. "We need to tell Stride about this," said Greg as he whipped out his bulky cell phone and dialed Eric's number.

Finally, Eric answered his cell phone and spoke in a very tired sounding voice. "_Hello…"_ he grumbled over the phone.

"Stride? Is that you?" chuckled Greg at the sound of his voice, "You sound terrible. Are you ill?"

"…_No…"_ he moaned as John leaned in so he could hear him better, "_…just got a hang-over."_

"Wah-!?" cried John in disbelief, "Since when did you start drinking, Eric?"

"_Recently…"_ he answered, "_Good to hear your voice, John."_

"Enough of your pansy-boy comments," snapped Greg, "We have big news! Jack sold out the Japs!"

"_What? Is this about that '_nuclear weapons_' thing again?"_ grumbled Eric in obvious irritation, "_I know for a fact that's all a lie. After the damage caused by Hiroshima, I find it hard to believe Japan would tamper with nuclear energy any time soon."_

"Jack and his boys got the whole council to suspend Japan from their meetings though…" mumbled John, "Something isn't right. I can't see why Jack would freely choose to cut Japan from the U.N… he gets so much money from them. If anything this would run him into bankruptcy."

"_That is strange…" _agreed Eric, still sounding hung-over and half-asleep, "_But we can't do anything about it now. We don't have the kind of power Jack does. Hey John, were you able to crack that floppy disk I sent you?"_

"You mean the one Daichi gave you before he died? No, sorry Eric. I still can't crack the password he set on it." There was a low grumble coming from the phone. "Sorry," apologized John again.

"_No, it's fine…" _sighed Eric, "_But the sooner you open that file the better. I need to know what Daichi was so intent on keeping from Jack."_

"Have you asked Dorian yet?" inquired Greg.

"_No but I guess I could… after my headache goes away…" _

"Christ man, how much did you drink?"

"_It's all kinda a blur… I remember gulping down like four shots of sake but considering how I woke up at the bottom of a hole with a red dragon tattooed on my chest it's probably safe to say I had more than that."_

"Wow…" gasped Greg in half amusement and half admiration.

"_Yeah, it's probably not a good thing,"_ said Eric nonchalantly, "_Anyways, just keep me up to date with what's going on. And John, please try and crack that password soon."_

"I'll try," assured John, "Get some rest, Eric."

"_Thanks," _he said_ "Take care you two."_

And with that Eric shut the cell phone and collapsed down on the futon below him, resting his aching head on the soft feather pillow.

"I hate my life…" he grumbled, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"Ohhh, come now. In every dark cloud there is a silver lining, my friend," said Hiroaki sagely as he poured himself another glass of sake.

Eric looked at his smiling old face and nearly had a seizure when he saw the bottle of sake in his hand. "For the love of God, man!" exclaimed Eric in a trembling voice, "How much alcohol can your body take?! Is your liver made of iron or something?"

The old man chuckled as he drained his glass in the blink of an eye. "Heh, heh, heh. This is nothing. You should have seen me on New Year's Eve. Drank three whole kegs of sake and I didn't feel the least bit tipsy."

"Freak!" spat Eric.

"Heh, heh, heh. No, I'm just old," he said with a toothy smile.

Suddenly, Keiichi entered inside the little hut where Eric and Hiroaki lay, still garbed in the same gray kimono that he had worn last night. Eric would still be wearing his too but he threw up on it.

Hiroaki turned and smiled warmly at the young man who just entered the room. "Ah, look Eric, you have a visitor."

Eric turned his attention to Keiichi, looking half-dead. "You're still wearing that old thing?" he grumbled, as if he were annoyed by Keiichi's choice in clothing.

"Yeah. It's super comfortable," answered Keiichi, "It's like a blanket you can wear all the time without looking like an idiot."

Eric only grumbled in response.

Keiichi and Hiroaki exchanged amused looks. "Hey, can I borrow your phone again Eric?" asked the teenage boy, suddenly sounding very hopeful as he crouched down beside Eric's disheveled figure.

"Calling Mion again?" he inquired with his face buried in his pillow as he fished for his cell phone within his pants pocket and handed it to Keiichi.

"Yeah," he answered, a light blush warming his cheeks, "I'll just step outside then."

"All right," said Eric, turning over on his side, "No phone-sex, you hear me."

"Shut up," scoffed Keiichi.

He exited the small hut and stepped out into the small village that surrounded him. Yes- it was indeed a village. The little house on the edge of Hiroaki's old courtyard was actually a gateway into this tiny village. Keiichi still found the village's structure awe-striking. It was only one-third the size of Hinamizawa but it could probably hold just as many people as the old village did. Each hut was scattered around the village, giving one ample room to walk around but each hut had two or three more huts stacked on top of it with a wooden staircase leading to each walkout porch so the inhabitants could get from place to place with ease.

Keiichi had just stepped out from one of the bottom huts, saving him the trouble and anxiety of having to walk up and down those creaky looking staircases. He flipped open the bulky cell phone and dialed Mion's number. It was about three-thirty in the afternoon now so she should be home.

"_Hello?"_ came her voice from over the phone.

Keiichi's stomach did a happy little summersault open hearing her voice again. He didn't know why but it was always a major "pick-me-up" to hear her talk.

"Hey Mii-chan," he greeted fondly as he began roaming aimlessly around the village square, circling around a stone fountain with a happy smile on his face.

"_Ah! Keiichi, glad to see you made good on your word,"_ she laughed, _"My mom was pretty upset about your call last night. It was pretty late you know."_

"Yeah, sorry about that," he apologized, "I just wanted to talk to you and I guess the time got away from me."

"_Yeah, you were probably partying too hard. I could hear that music playing in the background last night. That must be some college you're looking at." _Her voice seemed to lose some of its spunkiness when she said the word "college".

"Hm? Oh yeah! The college!" he said, almost forgetting that had been his excuse for his absence. Suddenly he remembered how sad Mion had sounded last night when they had talked about colleges. She had done the same thing just now. "Hey Mion…" he said softly, "…I don't think any of these colleges are gonna work for me."

"_What? Why not?"_

"Well… cuz they're all too far away," he answered, "I know I'm new to Hinamizawa and all but the place has really started to grow on me."

He didn't know how he knew it, but he was sure that a smile just broke out on her face. "All these colleges are in cities and all it's done is remind me how noisy city-life is. It made me realize how much I love the village. I love the quietness, I love how everyone is always so nice to me, I love our friends and…" He couldn't finish his sentence. It was way too cheesy, even for him.

There was a long silence on the phone, Mion seemed to be waiting for him to continue. "_D-do you love me, Kei-chan?"_ asked Mion in that soft, sweet voice he almost never heard from her.

Keiichi heaved a deep sigh and looked around him in all directions to see if anyone was listening in. "Yeah… I'm pretty sure I love you, Mion," he said with a sly smile.

Her usual tom-boy voice returned in a flash. _"Hey! What do you mean by '_pretty sure'_?_"

"I'm just kidding, just kidding," he laughed, "I really do love you, Mion."

"_So… are you gonna stay then?" _

"Stay where?"

"_In the village. I mean…"_ she paused a moment before she continued speaking, _"If you really love me then I want you to stay with me… I don't want you to go away to college, Kei-chan…"_

Keiichi was at a loss for words. Well… of course he wanted to go to college. It was true his dad left him all his money and he probably would never have to work a day in his life but Keiichi had dreams and aspirations. He still wanted to do something with his life.

"_Keiichi… are you there?" _came Mion's voice, awakening him from his thoughts.

"Yeah, I'm still here Mion," he answered, his voice sounding troubled.

There was more silence as Mion awaited his answer with baited breath. Suddenly, there was a knock on Mion's front door.

"Mion! I think that's your friends," called her mother, "Hurry up or they'll run out of needles at the clinic!"

Mion grumbled sadly. She had forgotten all about the flu shots as soon as Keiichi called. She was supposed to meet her friends at the water-mill after she got changed so they could go get vaccinated but she had totally forgotten. They were probably here to see what was keeping her.

"Sorry Keiichi, I gotta go," apologized Mion, her usual fervor returning to her voice, "Can you call me later tonight?"

"_Sure,"_ Keiichi answered, still sounding kind of distant and distracted, _"See you later then…"_

"Okay, I'll be waiting," and with that she hung up the phone and opened up the front door, coming face to face with her friends' impatient faces.

"Mii-chan is late," admonished Rena sweetly, reaching out to lightly knock on Mion's head three times, "Bad, bad, bad."

"Sorry guys," she apologized with a shy smile, "I got distracted."

"Just hurry up," scoffed Satoko impatiently, "Ryuu's already tried to make like… fifty escape attempts already."

"I shouldn't have to get a shot if I don't want to…" protested Ryuu angrily.

"But it's good for you," said Rena sagely, "You don't want to get sick do you?"

"I think I might prefer it, yes," he answered.

"C'mon," snapped Mion as she stepped out from the threshold, "If you be a brave boy we'll go down to Angel-Mort and buy you some ice cream. How's that?"

"Your offer appeals to me," commented Ryuu in agreement, "Very well, but Rena has to hold my hand. I hate needles… I think I'd rather get clubbed in the face for three hours straight."

______________________________________________________________________________

Keiichi closed the phone shut and sighed sadly, his mind being weighed down by one single question. Should he really give up college for Mion?

Sure, he'd do fine without a job because he was now immensely wealthy. But what would he do? Perpetual retirement sounded good but he couldn't possibly fathom what he would do all day while all his _other_ friends went off to college.

…Well, he'd always have Mion.

He soon found himself defenseless against his own blissful day-dreams which fell over him like a hazy fog and consumed him. He could imagine spending every day with his life with Mion. It would be a life free of obligations and of responsibilities- just him, the village, and the girl he loved so dearly.

Suddenly, a very mischievous voice seized Keiichi from his day dreams and ripped him forcefully from his blissful imagination. "How did the phone-sex go?" sniggered Hiroaki who was staring directly into Keiichi's once distant and dreamy eyes.

"It wasn't phone-sex…" grumbled Keiichi.

"Awwww, you sound a little disappointed by that," teased the old man as he sat himself next to Keiichi on the fountain.

"Shut up," snapped Keiichi.

"I'm only teasing you," assured the old man, "So… how is my granddaughter doing?"

"How should I know?" Keiichi asked with exasperation.

"Well you were just talking with her weren't you? Didn't you even bother to ask how she was doing or were you to busy asking her what she was wearing?"

"No, I was talking to Mion, not your…" His voice trailed off as he finally caught the meaning behind Hiroaki's words. "No way!" he exclaimed, looking at him with bewilderment, "Oh no way!"

"What?"

"You're Oryo's husband?!"

"I never said that," objected the old man, absently twirling his thin silvery mustache.

"But you said you were Mion's granddad! That would mean your Oryo's husband!"

"Well you don't need to married to have offspring," the old man said with a fond look in his eyes, as if he were recalling a very, very happy memory, "Good times… good times."

The mental image Keiichi's brain suddenly presented him with gave his stomach a sickening lurch.

"What happened? Why aren't you down there helping Oryo run the family?"

"Because I'm an outsider," answered Hiroaki sadly, "I met Oryo-chan when she was still a young lady. She was probably the most gorgeous thing I had ever seen. I met her during the Watanagashi festival. I came here from England after I graduated from my university to study this village's culture and after I met Oryo I almost didn't want to leave. She refused my advances at first but eventually I think I got to her and well… one thing led to another and… she soon became pregnant with my child."

Another unwanted mental image forced itself into Keiichi's mind.

"I never did get to meet my child though," continued the old man glumly, "After her parents found out she was pregnant they immediately suspected it was my doing since I spent the most time with Oryo. They never approved of me being around her in the first place because I wasn't born in the village and so you can imagine their fury when they discovered I had impregnated their daughter. They rallied up the villagers and had me run out of town. After that I was at eternal unrest. I tried time and time again to visit Oryo and see my child but I was always spotted. Eventually I gave up and started focusing on my career again and I ended up working for Jack."

"How did you end up here then?" Keiichi inquired.

"Yes, that's a fun story," said Hiroaki after a long pause, "After I quit working for Jack I tried going back to the village to hide. I arrived just in time to see my daughter disinherited from the family for the same reason I was exiled from the village: for having a relationship with an outsider. It tore me apart and I just started wandering around until I came upon this place. At the time there was just an old hermit living here with his wife and they took me in and eventually I found peace here."

"So… how did all these other villagers show up?"

"They just showed up one after another. Your friend Tomitake showed up not too long ago with a young lady who had succumbed to the syndrome. She was about to claw out her own throat when he brought her to me but we were able to nurse her back to health… mostly."

"What do you mean mostly?"

"She can't really remember anything now…" said Hiroaki with a glum face, "She's really handy though- a real nice lady. She and Tomitake got married only a month ago. Oh look! There she is now." Hiroaki stood up slowly, supporting himself with his wooden cane as he waved to a pretty young blond woman. "Hey there Umi!" he called out.

The young woman turned and smiled at the two of them happily as she bounded over to them chanting her name over and over again, "Umi! Umi! Umi!"

It took a while for Keiichi to recognize her bouncy blond hair and her soft voice. It was Miyo Takano! That insane woman who tried destroying their village by killing Rika!

"W-what is she doing here!?" Keiichi cried in alarm, "Do you know who that is!?"

"No, not really," shrugged the old man, "Jiro said her name was Miyo but she only responds to 'Umi'now for some reason. Tomitake-san doesn't like talking about who she used to be though."

Soon Miyo was staring at Keiichi with a very curious look on her face. "Umi?" she said as if it were a question.

"Is that all she says?"

"Yup," nodded the old man, "Don't worry, it'll grow on you in time."

"Umi, umi," she said with a happy nod.

"It's actually just getting more and more annoying," grumbled Keiichi, "What the hell does 'umi' mean anyway?"

For once, the old man was stumped. "Haven't a clue," he answered honestly, "But you can kind of tell what she's saying by the tone of her voice."

She clapped happily in agreement.

"She's like a little kid…" observed Keiichi.

"Yes, I think she's lost all memories of her past life," commented the old man, "But that may be for the best. Judging by the mad gibbering that was spilling out of her mouth when Jiro brought her to me, it's safe to say she's better off without her old memories."

"_Yeah,"_ thought Keiichi bitterly, _"No one would want to bare the guilt of all the homicides she committed. Not to mention the fact she tried to destroy the village." _

Suddenly, there was a low chime of the big brass gong that stood at the northern end of the village square. "My, it's getting late," said Hiroaki as he stretched his old, wrinkly arms, "I'll see you later, Maebarra-kun. My pupils await."

"Pupils?"

"Umi?"

"Yes," affirmed the old man as he slowly began to set off to the gateway leading to the courtyard, "You don't think that all my archers knew how to fire a bow just by magic, do you? I taught them everything they know."

Keiichi paused for a moment as Miyo rushed up to Hiroaki's side with a bright smile on her blissful face. "What kind of place is this, Hiroaki-sama?" Keiichi finally asked.

The old man shot him a toothy smile. "It's whatever you need it to be, Maebarra-kun."

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: HA! And you guys thought I called it quits. I'm back at last and I feel great! Sorry I was gone for so long. I had studies and then after that there was some crazy pranks going on that resulted in some serious injury on my part. Ironically, it was my prank that ended up breaking my toe. But on the bright side, I no longer am burdened with studies! Which means I can upload a lot faster! And the ending is so close!

Thank you for all the reviews you guys left me in my absence. It made me very happy! :D

Don't forget to leave a review for today though!


	24. Chapter 23: Murderer

Chapter 23: Murderer

**(A/N: BLAARGH! I died. Or more accurately, my computer died. I got a super-horrid-evil-virus from hell! I almost had this chapter completed about a week ago and then suddenly… my computer was murdered by the virus. :*( **

**It was a dark time for me. I had to spend a hundred dollars to have my computer fixed and then I had to rewrite the whole damn chapter. Plz do not be angry at me. Also, this chapter is a little gory- at least from my opinion.)**

Mion and her friends finally arrived at their destination and gathered in a line behind the massive queue that had formed outside the clinic, standing in line to be vaccinated. "Jeez this line is huge," exclaimed Satoko, "I don't think I've ever seen this many people in one place before." Hanyuu nodded in agreement. "There are probably more people here than there were at the Watanagashi last year," she observed, "Is the flu really that bad of a disease?"

"Yeah, it's pretty nasty," said Ryuu, "I got it once when I was a kid… I nearly threw up my skeleton."

"Ewww… it makes you throw up?" quivered Satoko, "I hate throwing up…"

"Yeah, leaves an awful taste in your mouth doesn't it?" observed Rika, "It's yuckee, yuckee!"

"Totally," concurred Ryuu with a sour look on his face, "But I think I'd rather throw up than wait here in this line… What took you so long to show up anyway, Mion?"

Mion blinked a few times, trying to tear herself away from her troubled thoughts of the future. "Huh?" she said absently.

"Why didn't you show up at the water-mill?" repeated Ryuu irritably, "We waited for like a half-hour for you to show up and now we have to wait in this line!"

"I got distracted," she said honestly with a vague smile.

The rest of the group exchanged inquisitive glances. "Okay… that could mean a number of things," badgered Ryuu, "What did you get distracted _doing?_"

"Nothing okay!"

"So you just kept us waiting for the fun of it?" exclaimed Ryuu with outrage, "That's pretty mean, Mii-chan!"

"You're one to talk," retorted Satoko with a sharp smile, "We went through a lot of trouble trying to get you down that tree you were hiding in. If it weren't for my grappling hook we would probably still be taking turns throwing apples at you until you lost balance."

Ryuu shot her an irritated look. "Yeah well… thanks to your Goddamn grappling hook, I nearly lost a finger! You really need to work on your aim Satak…o…" Ryuu's voice slowly began to trail off when he heard an all too familiar voice coming from the crowd.

"Name," said the voice belonging to the tall man with one arm and no left eye. It was Jack Lanyon hovering over a group of elderly villagers with a severely bored expression on his scarred face. Behind him stood another man who was holding a clipboard on Jack's behalf, writing down whatever Jack ordered him to on a sheet of notebook paper.

The old man looked up at Jack, timidly rubbing his hands together like a mouse trapped by a cat. "Ehhh… Mitoni Genji…" he said in a wheezy voice.

"What about her?" he said, briefly glancing at the plump old woman at his side.

"Oh… That's my wife," he answered, a hint of pride in his aged voice, "Timori Genji."

The man to Jack's left was busy writing down their names when Jack snatched the clipboard from him, scanning the roster of names until he located the one he desired. "It says here you have two sons," said Jack, his irritation levels rising, "Where are they?"

"Oh… well they chose not to come. After all, they are all grown-up now so they can make their own decisions..."

"So they're not coming?" inquired Jack.

The old man recoiled upon detecting the venom in Jack's voice. "Uh… well no…"

"Fine," he handed the clipboard back the other man roughly, "Then get the hell out of line!"

The small amount of chatter among the line slowly began to die down when Jack's voice rose and all eyes focused themselves on Jack and the terrified elderly couple.

"W-wh-why?" he sputtered, his wrinkly hands trembling.

"It's part of our policy," he snapped angrily, "All family members within the village must be present so it's either all of you or none of you."

"B-b-but… When Dr. Irie was here he said I'd have to get my flu shots…"

"Yeah, or what? You gonna die without em'?"

The old man's knees began to wobble, as if Jack's spiteful tone was literally beginning to pull him down. "Y-yes… maybe… he just said it was very strongly recommended that I-"

"Well then, I'd go find your sons and drag their asses over here unless you want the Grim Reaper to swing his scythe early on you."

"B-but…"

"Security!" cried Jack, signaling to a pair of hulking, and very pale men to emerge from the crowd, "We got two more over here, please remove them immediately."

There were a few outraged cries from the crowd of villagers as the two elders were roughly guided out of the line and down the road, being pushed and sometimes even kicked by the security guards.

"That bastard!" cursed Mion, "Where the hell does he get off?!"

"Yeah, why does our entire family have to be present anyway?" agreed Satoko.

"I think we should leave," said Ryuu suddenly, his request falling on deft ears as his friends simply continued expressing their outrage.

"That was cruel wasn't it? Wasn't it Ru-kun?" piped Rena, her eyes narrowed dangerously in Jack's direction.

"We need to leave," said Ryuu again, his voice rising in urgency.

"No," objected Mion, "I wanna have a word or two with this guy and you're staying with us."

"No, please! He's coming this way! Let go of my shirt!"

"Just shut up and stop being a baby," scolded the green haired girl heatedly as Jack continued down the line with the other man checking names off the roster.

"No! You don't understand-"

Too late…

"Names," requested Jack in a very blasé tone as Ryuu quickly turned his back on him, concealing his face.

"Hey bud! Where the hell do you get off kicking out the Genjis!?" cried Mion in outrage, not even shrinking under Jack's menacingly scarred face and his partner's hulking figure, "Do you have any idea how old they are?"

Jack didn't answer her question. Instead, his mouth cracked into a small smile. "You must be Oryo's granddaughter. Yes, it's good to see you again, Mion-chan. It's been a while. How is your back holding up?"

Ryuu's body stiffened as his heart almost stopped. _"He knows… he knows I'm here… he's gonna tell them… shit… shit… what do I do? It was hard enough letting Rena know! I'm not ready for the others to find out! No, no, no, no, no, no!"_

"My back?" inquired Mion, the fire in her voice now extinguished.

"Ohhh that's right," continued Jack, "You wouldn't remember me would you? I was the one who saved you, remember?"

"S-saved me?"

"_Do something, do something, do something!"_ urged a chilling voice inside Ryuu's head, _"Kill him! Quickly! Please kill him! He'll tell everyone and they'll lock you up again!"_

"Yes," Jack said, his smile widening as he slowly began inching towards Ryuu who was still had his back to him, "Think hard Mion. Do you remember why your grandmother had your back tattooed?"

"U-uh… that's…"

"That's what all the Sonozaki heiresses do? Get tattoos of the demons of old on their backs?" finished Jack, his voice rising as a small audience gathered around him again, "Ha! It's a cover up! I was the one who suggested it too! The tattoo on your back is covering up two rather nasty scars!"

"_Damnit! Think, think, think, think!" _cried the voice so loud it was making Ryuu's eyes water, _"He's getting closer… he is going to tell her!"_

"N-no… wait…" Mion paused.

She heard something… it sounded far away… like it was coming from the bottom of a water-well. It echoed around her, slowly replacing the sun drenched world around with a dark place where the only source of light was coming from an old fashioned projector that was playing an image on a blood-splattered theater screen. She saw the red-eyed boy from her nightmares grab a small girl by her neck and slam her against the screen. She cried and yelped with all her mite but no noise would escape her mouth as the red-eyed boy clamped her airway shut with his grip. She was groping for something… no… for someone. A young teenage girl with green hair tied up in a ponytail. The back of her shirt was ripped open and there was, in fact, no tattoo on her back. Instead there were just a few bruises here and there but she had a feeling that would soon change.

"Miyo!" cried Mion's younger self, "Ryuu, please! Put her down!"

"_Ryuu… no… no! It was true!"_

"Ryuu please!" she yelped as Miyo, her old school-friend, gasped for air, "Ryuu… stop. Stop… yo-you murderer!"

The red-eyed boy- Ryuu- suddenly cocked his neck in her direction, his eyes shimmering like red-rubies cast into a fire.

"You're hurting her!" cried the younger Mion, crawling on all fours to Ryuu's feet, one of her legs clearly broken, "Please put her down!"

The younger Ryuu complied, snapping her neck before releasing her from his grasp and letting her corpse drop to the floor with a hollow _thud_.

Both Mion and her younger self watched in terror as the young girl's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she died.

"I…" breathed Ryuu, his voice unnaturally high-pitched and shrill, "…am…not…" He grabbed a fistful of Mion's green hair. "…A MURDERER!!"

He began ripping off Mion's hair in chunks, as if he was plucking a chicken and despite her protests he did not stop until Mion was almost completely bald on the top of her head. Tears of pain and sorrow cascaded from her face as the younger Mion had her arms smashed in one of the theater seats until it finally broke.

"Stop it! Please!" she begged, choking on her own strands of hair as she gasped for air, "You're hurting me!"

Her cries fell on deft ears as Ryuu grabbed one of the many shards of glass from the floor and flipped Mion over on her back while she whimpered in terror of what was to come.

As he drove the glass into her back, his eyes suddenly changed. The fiery redness was slowly blotted out by his original stormy gray eyes that rolled in like storm clouds. And the devious delight and sadistic pleasure that was once evident in his smile faded. It was like he was transforming right before her eyes until at last a single tear fell onto the small of Mion's back.

Ryuu had already made two large gashes in her back before he dropped the glass and fell to his knees, only now realizing the damage he had done. He looked at his blood soaked hands in sheer terror, daring himself to look around and see just whose blood decorated his fingers and his palms.

Mion counted twenty-seven corpses total, and one very bloodied girl who was sobbing into her shirt.

Mion awoke from her nightmarish memory in the same tortured position she had seen herself in in her memories. All her friends were hovering over her, looking terrified. Everyone but Ryuu.

______________________________________________________________________________

"I'll kill you!" cried Ryuu as he dashed through the woods, the thorny branches that jetted out from the trees drawing red lines on his face as they brushed against his skin, "I'll kill you Lanyon!"

Jack had run away the minute Mion collapsed onto the floor, quietly ducking into the crowd of anxious villagers that swarmed around her in a flock of worry. Ryuu was just now catching up to him and to his dismay Jack wasn't even running. He was actually walking quite casually through the woods as if he were on a peaceful Sunday morning stroll. It infuriated Ryuu to see a lack of fear or regret in his posture, causing him to rip through the barbed branches with thoughts of bloody-work on his mind.

He was sure now that Mion remembered what had happened to her and who was responsible. This ruined everything. Paradise lost… and it was all Jack's fault. Ryuu rammed his elbows right into Jack's shoulders as he finally collided with him, sending the one-eyed man falling face forward onto the ground. Ryuu didn't give him time to catch his breath as he lunged downward and scooped Jack up into the air, throwing him at least ten meters to his left before charging at him again.

He swooped down to grab Jack again but before he could his vision was suddenly alight with bright flashing lights and stars just as his cranium erupted in a fiery explosion of pain caused by a black cane tipped with a silver skull that was now dripping with his blood. Ryuu winced and fell to his knees, lightly patting his head to see if he could feel any blood.

Jack helped himself up using his cane, glowering down at Ryuu with distaste. "Such poor gratitude," he scoffed as he stepped over him, "I don't think you realize all that I've done for you, 'M'."

"My name… is Ryuu!" he barked in defiance, "I'm… n-not 'M' anymore!"

Jack laughed callously before violently swinging his cane down on Ryuu's back, sending the poor boy falling forward as he felt the pain swell up. "I will call you what I wish," informed Jack, "…Just because you are now known as 'Ryuu' does not erase the evil atrocities you committed."

"Why!?" sobbed Ryuu, "Why are you doing this to me!? You knew I was in the village… Why would you tell Mion what I did to her!?"

"Payback," retorted the one-armed man, "Have you any idea what it's like to try and open a door with one hand but suddenly realize that there's nothing to move? Do you know what it's like to have to get up every morning and clean my glass eye or put on my eye-patch!?"

"It's only fair after what you did to me!" protested Ryuu, his eyes watering as he struggled to stand again, "I spent four years in hell because of you! That's four years of being put through tests and being poked with needles all day long with nothing to look forward to but the solitude of my old cell!"

Jack noticed Ryuu was trying to stand and immediately jabbed his gut with the tip of his cane, winding him instantly. "At least I freed you from all that."

"LIAR!"

"You wanna bet!? I was the one who sent you that knife and I was the one who opened your cell doors!"

"No…" Ryuu gasped, shaking his head in disbelief, "T-th-that was Masato…"

"Masato stopped sending letters to you the day I caught him," snapped Jack, "I found him in the staff lounge with a pen and paper, writing a letter to check up on you. I threatened to fire him after that but he begged me to be merciful. So, I let him keep his job so long as he never wrote another letter to you. But then I decided to fill in for him. I think you'll remember, the letters became much more violent after that point. I knew I couldn't just tell you to kill everyone straight away because I knew Masato's letters that preached 'peace' and 'control' would have made you reluctant to kill again. So I had to gradually slip in the message until you started to become more violent with every day I saw you. The day where you nearly killed me and Masato was enough to prove to me you were ready to be set free. That evening, I sent you my last letters letter along with the knife and I opened the cell doors from the control room, thus freeing you."

"Why!? You set me on your own followers?! You had me kill all those people on purpose!?"

"Exactly," affirmed Jack with an evil smirk, seeming very pleased with himself, "People like Masato became far too nosey and curious about what was going on at the asylum. I knew if I let them live they would eventually get too curious for their own good and start doing some in-depth investigating and I couldn't allow that. It just so happened that on the day you were released I had called _all_ my staff in for a very important meeting. As I'm sure you know none of them survived that day. Of course, I nearly lost my life as well. I took quite the gamble by trusting Masato's misplaced sense of compassion to distract you from harming me, allowing me to slip away while you were busy smashing his head into the wall."

Ryuu's whole world had just turned upside down on him. If this was true… then… everything that had happened so far was all just part of Jack's plan. He had thought that his escape had been a major triumph but it was actually a catalyst for Jack's plans. He felt used… like some beaten down wooden puppet whose strings had only been cut as an opening act for some kind of sick puppet-show.

"Speechless, I know. You must be overflowing with gratitude for my sacrifice in me freeing you. But no thanks is necessary, old friend," he kicked Ryuu to the floor so he was lying on his side and Ryuu, feeling broken and shattered, did not resist, "In fact, I'll be doing you another favor." Jack placed the tip of his cane so it was hovering over Ryuu's temple. "I promise you're death will be quick." He raised his cane high in the air, the furious cry of the cicadas rising along with him. "Perhaps you can apologize to all your victims… in hell!"

Suddenly and without warning, something small zipped out from the cover of the trees and nailed Jack right square in the nose, causing him to drop his cane in alarm so it landed only a few centimeters from Ryuu's face.

"What the fu--?!"

There was a low buzzing, followed by two more blows to Jack's face from the unknown objects. Ryuu barely had the willpower to look up and see about eight dozen cicadas zoom out from the trees in a fierce charge. Jack stumbled back in shock as the cicadas began throwing themselves at Jack with all their force.

"Gah! What the hell is this!?" he roared as he shielded his one remaining eye from the cicada's attack.

Ryuu didn't know whether he should be afraid, overjoyed, or amused at the sight of Jack's pathetic attempt to swat the cicadas away and cover his eyes using only one arm. Ryuu saw this as an opportunity to escape while he still could. He stood up with the help of a few tree-branches for support and with one last look at Jack, he disappeared into the labyrinth of trees and the very second he vanished from sight, the cicadas departed from Jack and left him to clutch his racing heart and fight back a wave of frightened tears.

______________________________________________________________________________

**London, England; 4:35 am; the May Fair Hotel;**

John Withers was still hard at work trying to crack the password Daiichi had set on that old floppy-disk he had left to Eric all those years ago. With heavy bags under his eyes and a cup of piping hot coffee in his left hand as he made another attempt at the code.

He sighed deeply when he saw the familiar "Access Denied" window that popped up on his computer-screen with every single failed attempt to gain access into the file. "This thing had better be pretty Goddamn important," grumbled John, removing his glasses to rub his eyes, "How the hell am I supposed to figure out what the password is? All I know is that it's three characters long! Well Eric, that isn't really enough to find a code, now is it?"

John nearly urinated himself when his cell phone tore through the peace and quiet of the night. He answered it, speaking in a very tired voice. "Who the hell is this?" he demanded groggily.

"_Should I call back later?" _came Eric's voice.

John sat upright. "It's four o'clock in the fucking morning!" he yelled, "What in God's name makes you think I want to talk to you, the person who just won't let me sleep until I get this freaking code, in four in the morning!?"

"_So it is a bad time right now?"_

"Shut up," he groaned, "I've been up all night trying to get your friggin' password but nothing is working."

"_You have no idea at all?"_

"No, no I don't have any mother-loving idea!" retorted John irately.

"_Wow, you're not usually this agitated."_

"Yeah, well- that's what happens at four-forty in the morning."

"…._So no clue then?"_

"God damn… Fine, if you're gonna keep antagonizing me about it then fine! Yes, I have a clue but it's a real small one. All I know is that the password is three letters long."

"_How do you figure that?"_

"I am way to friggin' tired to go into that right now so just leave it," advised John dangerously, "Bunch of computer geek stuff you wouldn't be able to process for the life of you."

"_That's hurtful. Oh! Did I tell you? I found out that Daiichi's old girlfriend is here too."_

"Are you talking about Miyo? Wait- is she living with Dorian?" inquired John, his curiosity aroused, "Damn, how'd that old man con her into doing that?"

"_No, it's not like that,"_ Eric said with a chuckle, _"She's married to some other guy named Tomitake."_

"She sure was a fox," commented John with a grin as he made another failed attempt to guess the password, "And she was real close to Daiichi wasn't she? Hey- I bet you she knows the password."

"_I'm sure she does," _Eric agreed, _"Only problem is, she got the Hinamizawa Syndrome a while back and after they nursed her back to health she apparently wasn't very right in the head after that. She can't remember a single thing- not even her own name. The only thing she says now is 'Umi, Umi,'." _

John felt like crying as his last spark of hope was doused by Eric's words. "Great," he sighed, "Back to guessing and praying then."

"_How are things going with the U.N council?"_

"Terrible. They won't listen to reason! They're still buying Jack's bullshit about Japan planning an attack. Greg has tried to get them to listen but Jack's goons always step in and twist the rest of the council around in their favor. And they're really buying it too. They've actually stopped trading with them just because James said so!" He grimaced at the thought of that two-faced drone of Jack's.

"_Have _you_ tried convincing them any?"_

"No, I can't! You know how I get in front of people. I get a stutter."

"_You can't let Greg fight your battles for you, John," _advised Eric sagely, "_You can be a very charismatic person when you get your words out right."_

John sighed deeply. "I know, I know," he said sadly.

"_Hey John, you really don't have to push yourself so hard," _said Eric, his voice sounding as tired as John's, "_You can go to bed if you want."_

"You know, it's really sad that I need your permission to go to sleep," said John, "But whatever. Thanks, Eric. I'll try getting that code cracked tomorrow."

"_All right, get some rest," _Eric advised, "_Sorry for making you work so late."_

"I'll get over it in the morning," sighed John as he powered down his computer, "What time is it over there?"

"_It's getting late," _he informed, _"The sun just set. Well, talk to you tomorrow, John."_

"Fine, talk to you later." And with that he shut his cell phone and fell asleep right where he sat.

______________________________________________________________________________

Ryuu Maebara dared not return to the clinic. He was sure now more than ever that Mion now had full memory of what happened. She would never forgive him. He dared not return home either. Now that Mion remembered it was only a matter of time before he had police on his trail. He tried with all his might to look on the bright side.

"Well, at least I won't be shipped away to Lanyon's asylum again," he said to himself with a chuckle as he continued his uphill trek, the sun setting behind him. His current objective was to remove himself as far away from Jack and the rest of the village before he was found. He forced a smile upon his face, hoping to God it may somehow help him forget he was once again a cursed outcast of the village. Years from now, when he'll be an old man, parents will tell their children ghost stories of the crazy old man who killed over four-hundred people who lives up in the hills of Hinamizawa. And then, maybe he'll simply become an urban legend- like "Big-Foot" or the "Loch Ness Monster". That's how he would like it. To be simply forgotten as an old urban legend who will only live on through ghost stories and children's gossip. He'd fade away from existence until his atrocities faded away with him.

The sun had completely vanished now, removing the last remaining source of light in Ryuu's life. As he thought of the sun's radiant light he couldn't stop himself from thinking about Rena's brilliant orange hair. His knees began to wobble when he thought about her and suddenly a new spark of hope flickered in his mind. Rena had already forgiven him… maybe he could find her one day and maybe she would come stay with him. Maybe he wouldn't have to live out his life in complete solitude after all.

No… the only way she'd go with him is if he kidnapped her. He didn't want to vilify himself more than he already had. He was just fine with vanishing into history as a scary myth.

Suddenly, a very wretched scent wafted up into his nostrils. A smell that arched his back and alerted all his senses. It was fowl- rank smelling. Like nothing he had smelt before. But there was still something unnaturally familiar about it- something that caused his conciseness so zip through his brain in a desperate search for where he had smelt this scent before. His ears twitched when he heard the crisp leaves crunch from somewhere in the trees around him.

Ryuu's fingers twitched involuntarily as they resisted the powerful urge to punch out at the next living thing he saw. He didn't want to let his violent side escape him again. But still… this familiar scent and the rapid footsteps that circled around him made his skin crawl.

He saw something- or someone- stir in the darkness that veiled the land in front of him. Slowly he began moving backward, wanting to avoid any kind of conflict with this creature, but just as he feared: the creature sprung out from the blackness and leaped onto him, pinning him hopelessly to the ground by his shoulders.

He could see the beast's feral red eyes glowing like fire above him. They looked hungry and vicious. He struggled and kicked but no matter how hard he hit the creature is continued to lower its head closer to him. He could smell its putrid breath beating against his face until finally he came into light. It _was_ human… mostly. Its skin was as pale as chalk except for the purple veins that spider-webbed across its face and bare torso. Its hair was a very chalky pale blonde that hung loosely over its glowing red eyes. The creature had jagged yellow teeth that were dripping with drool from his forked tongue. Ryuu had seen this thing before! His mind nearly imploded as he tried to remember where.

Wait… it wasn't the creature he had seen before. It was the human _within_ the creature that was so familiar in scent and in sight. He could barely make out the soft purple eyes of Satoshi Hojo hidden beneath the glowing red rubies that had replaced them. Satoshi and him had been classmates before Ryuu had vanished. They were never particularly close friends but they had gotten along moderately well. He just hoped Satoshi would be able to remember him.

"Satoshi!" he cried to the transfigured boy, "Satoshi it's me! It's Ryuu!"

Satoshi's grip on Ryuu's shoulders began tightening as a deep growling sound escaped his lips.

"No wait! Satoshi! Think back! We went to school together!" he besieged, starting to grow fearful of Satoshi's hungry eyes, "Remember? Miss Chie's class… With Mion and Miyo!" His voice rose as he felt his shoulders being crushed by Satoshi's amazingly strong grip. Satoshi had never been anywhere near this strong. What had happened to him? "Come on man! It's me! Maebara-kun! Gah!" he cried as he felt Satoshi's nails dig into his flesh, "Can't you remember anything! What about Rena, Rika, and Satoko? You have to remember them!"

Ryuu felt Satoshi's grip on him loosen ever so slightly at mention of Satoko's name. Then Ryuu remembered that Satoko was Satoshi's sister. "Yes, that's it! Satoko Hojo! Remember her!? I've met her, Satoshi!" yelled Ryuu as if he were simply trying to start a conversation with this feral version of Satoshi from across a canyon, "She is such a wonderful young lady! You sure helped raise her to be an outstanding girl! She's damn smart too! Have you seen her traps!?"

It was working! He could feel Satoshi's narrow fingernails leave his flesh and he saw his burning red eye slowly began to dim as if they were being doused by cool water. "I'll tell ya'!" he continued loudly as Satoshi slowly began losing his newly-gained demonic like qualities, "My first day back, she pulled a trap on my brother that was so friggin' intricate that I'm sure not even Odysseus himself would have been able to pull it off!" **(A/N: if you have already read **_**The Odyssey**_** then you will know that the main character Odysseus is commonly renowned for being a "master-strategist") **

Finally, the feral look in Satoshi's eyes had vanished, becoming a dull red color that looked tame but still warily menacing. Those red eyes stared down at Ryuu with a vague familiarity about them. "Maebara-kun?" he whispered, very out of breath, "Oh my God…. Maebara…." Satoshi stood up, suddenly looking ashamed of himself as he helped Ryuu from the ground. "I can't stay here," he said quickly, "I'm so sorry… I need to go."

Now that he could see Satoshi in better lighting, he noticed that he had a large gash in his side that was bleeding profusely.

"Why?" queried Ryuu, "And what happened to you?"

"I…I can't explain it," he answered, "I don't have time."

"What's your rush?"

Satoshi's eyes flashed dangerously again. He seemed to be struggling with something as he winced and shook his head violently. "I can't be around you…. I'm not safe!"

"What are you a werewolf? Well, don't hold back. Kill me! You'd be doing me a favor! I don't have anything to live for anymore…"

"No, that's not what I meant," said Satoshi urgently, "I can't explain it. You can't be close to me…"

Ryuu's face was now very heavy with concern. "What the hell is happening to you, man?"

"A man named Jack Lanyon did this to me!" he cried, as if saying that caused him a great deal of pain, "Please... you have to warn the village, Maebara…"

"Warn? What are you talking about?"

"Jack is planning to do something terrible! You have to warn the village!"

"Dude, you need help!" said Ryuu, gesturing to the deep cut in Satoshi's side, "How did you get that thing anyway?"

"I…I can't tell you!" he yelled, "Please, Ryuu! Just tell the village about Jack!"

"What am I supposed to tell them?"

"Tell them to… to…" he grunted and grabbed two fistfuls of his hair, his face contorted with pain, "AAHH! HA AH! It hurts!"

"Satoshi!"

"He has Shion!" he cried desperately, "Tell them Jack has Shion! He killed the Irie brothers all ready! Tell them to get Shion out of there before it's too late! Please!"

"Where, Satoshi!? Where is she!?"

Satoshi grimaced again as another spontaneous wave of agony washed over him. "Ahhh!"

"Enough of this Satoshi! We need to get you help, fast!"

"Forget about me!" he ordered, "It's too late… for me. Shion… she may still be safe… I don't know… Jack will kill me once he finds out I've been talking to you…"

"How's he gonna know?"

"Because I'll tell him," he said honestly, "He has his ways… Ryuu."

"Well you can't go back to him!"

"It's the only place I can go, Maebara!" he growled, "I'm sorry… I can't stay here any longer."

"Satoshi wait!"

But Satoshi had his mind made up. He was already bounding through the forest at an incredible speed before Ryuu had finished speaking. In the distance he could hear Satoshi's voice calling back to him in desperation. "Tell them to grab any weapons they can!" he bellowed over and over again until his voice vanished into the night, leaving Ryuu all alone again.

Ryuu sighed and looked back in the village's direction. He could its shimmering lights glistening brilliantly in the dark of night, like a gold gem. He had no choice but to turn back and face up for what he had done. By the sound of it, it would seem Satoshi was insinuating that the village should revolt against Jack…

…and he couldn't have been more happy with that.

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: And thus, we bid adieu to the regular chapters of this lengthy story and welcome the advent of the fabled "end chapters". Rejoice!

Again, I apologize for my prolonged absence. A word of advice: when you see an interactive ad on the side of any kind of web page saying "shoot the duck", "punch Osama", or anything else like that… don't click on it. I shot the duck and I paid for it by getting a virus spawned from Satan himself. It actually just saddens me that there are people out there with nothing better to do than create these viruses just to infect other systems.

In the words of Red Forman: "Dumbasses!"

I hope you guys liked this chapter. The real epicness begins next chapter!

Plz don't forget to leave a comment! Your comments keep me alive… seriously. They're a much better source of nutrition than actual food.


	25. Chapter 24: The First Stone is Cast

Chapter 24: The First Stone is Cast

Ryuu rushed back to the village with Satoshi's warning in mind, racing through the trees and the bushes until he came out of the forest and onto the dirt road that bordered the edge of the village. Not wanting to lose any more time, he dashed down the road with unnaturally fast speed, zipping past one or two speeding police cars with their sirens wailing.

Suddenly, he stopped when the blue and red flashing lights of the police cars caught his eye and he allowed the vehicles to zoom past him to see where they were off to. He followed them, his curiosity aroused. He couldn't imagine what would cause the police to stir at such a late hour of the night in a normally peaceful and quiet town like Hinamizawa. He soon found out…

In the distance he saw the orange, dim glow of crackling flames that were luring other villagers to its location like a beacon. He slowed down when he saw other villagers- women, men, and children alike- emerge from their homes with bewildered expressions as they all cautiously approached the roaring fire which was now encircled by four police cars and a fire truck. Ryuu smelt a familiar scent emanating from the burning wreckage that caused his heart to skip a beat in fear and anticipation.

"_Satoshi was here…"_ he thought with an alarmed expression as he recognized his scent in the air. The smell was coming from a siren-tower that, judging from the looks of things, had been ripped from the ground and slammed violently into the grass. Ryuu had to nudge his way past the crowd of worried looking villagers to get a better look at the trashed siren-tower. He saw sharp scratch marks carved into the tower's black surface and as Ryuu remembered the feeling of Satoshi's sharp nails digging into the meat of his shoulders he had no doubt that this was his handiwork. And as if that weren't enough, there was a large blood splatter mark on the tower's base that would explain why he had seen Satoshi with a large gash in his side last time they met.

"All right everyone, all right!" cried the hatefully familiar voice of Jack Lanyon, "Nothing to see here! Get back!"

Jack Lanyon emerged from a group of police officers that all looked at Jack with disgust as he brushed past them.

Not wanting to be seen by Jack, Ryuu slowly fell back with the rest of the crowd but kept a wary eye on Lanyon as he ordered the firemen to step forward and do their job. Ryuu watched as the firemen extinguished the flames with the help of a rather large water hose and it wasn't long before the police were investigating the scene.

But before the police had even five minutes to investigate for themselves, Jack had already come up with a conclusion. "Well," he began, "There's no doubt about it. This was most definitely the work of those Sonozaki freaks."

Silence fell over the once talkative crowd, most were completely dumbstruck by Jack's outrageous claim. The other police officers and investigators exchanged rather upset looks with one another and slowly all eyes fell on Jack as they silently waited for him to elaborate.

"How did you come to that?" one of the officers finally said, "These siren-towers were built like… sixteen feet underground. There's no way they have the kind of power to knock them down."

"Last time I spoke with Oryo-sama she seemed very set on the destruction of my beautiful towers," said Jack, as if that alone would be enough to convince all of them, "Who else could it be but her and her spawn."

"Hey! Don't talk about Oryo-sama like that!" snapped one of the villagers, angrily raising his fist in the air with protest. A few of the braver villagers jeered angrily in agreement.

"Yeah! And don't you think you should maybe think about this a little bit more before you go blaming the Sonozaki family!? What proof do you have!?"

"I don't need proof," he argued, "I have guns."

He raised two of his fingers and suddenly a large group of darkly clad and heavily armed Russian soldiers stepped out from the shadows, wielding large automatic rifles that they pointed threateningly at the villagers.

It was then Ryuu realized what was really going on. This was all a set-up-- a plan to frame the Sonozakis. Jack knew damn well who really destroyed the tower. He knew it was Satoshi because it was Jack who ordered him to destroy it in the first place. That's why Satoshi was out tonight! Why would he have a bunch of heavily armed soldiers on stand-by around the scene of the crime unless he knew the villagers would get riled up if he accused Oryo for the crime? It was clear to Ryuu now that all Jack wanted was an excuse to storm Sonozaki manor.

The crowd suddenly became very hushed at the sight of the burly soldiers and their guns and they all exchanged nervous glances as some of them slowly began to slip away from the crowd to lock themselves back up in their homes with their families. But Ryuu, along with about fifteen other people, stood their ground with looks of furious determination on their faces. And the villagers were not the only ones who looked outraged at the recent turn of events, the policemen, as well, looked as though they had finally had enough of Jack Lanyon: self proclaimed chief of the police task force.

"Chief, you can't just go pointing guns at innocent civilians!" cried one of the officers angrily, "They haven't done anything wrong!"

Jack simply shrugged off his protest and moved over to one of his soldiers.

"Are you listening to me!?" continued the officer, "This isn't right! Why the hell do you even have these men with you?! What are you planning on doing!? Huh?! Answer me!"

Jack continued to ignore him as he ran his hand up and down the shaft of the soldier's automatic rifle, as if he were inspecting it before making his purchase. And then, with no warning of any kind, Jack relieved the soldier of his weapon and fired it at the officer who had been questioning him earlier, blowing his head clean off with one shot and sending a spout of blood spewing from the man's open neck as he fell to his knees and died. The other officers were quick to react, whipping out their pistols and aiming them at Jack and his soldiers but Jack had already vanished behind his men before any of the officers could get out a single shot.

It was over before it had begun. When Jack gave the order, his men opened fire on the officers and they quickly reduced them to a broken heap of torn flesh pumped with lead. Only two of Jack's soldiers fell from the barrage of bullets that were fired from the police force.

The remaining villagers at the scene had been frozen by sheer astonishment at what had just happened. All those men that stood before them had just died in a matter of seconds. It was outrageous!

The villagers glared at Jack with the utmost hatred as he stepped out from the cover of his loyal troops, wearing a somehow humored smile directed at the heap of bloody corpses he was responsible for. A white-hot rage flickered in Ryuu's gut when he detected the small hint of pride glazed behind Jack's one remaining eye.

"Now that they're out of the way," begun Jack with a satisfied grin, "I can finish what I started all those years ago. Gregory!" He motioned at one of his soldiers to step forward. "Tell James to summon the U.N council in England as soon as possible. We shall begin our negotiations shortly. And after that, I want you to head over to Dorian's little hideaway with as many men as we can spare. "

"_Negotiations? What the hell does that mean?"_

Gregory saluted Jack to show he understood and marched off with two other soldiers back into the woods.

It seemed that Jack was just now remembering that there was a crowd of very horrified looking villagers standing in front of him. Ryuu knew they were in trouble when a delighted smile appeared on Jack's face. "Oh look," he said casually, "Witnesses."

The other soldiers seemed to think this was very funny as they erupted in a low chorus of laughter.

"Half of you come with me," Jack ordered, "We have business with the Sonozakis. The rest of you… leave no witness standing."

Ryuu hardly had time to move before bullets and blood began whizzing past his face as the soldiers opened fire on all of them.

______________________________________________________________________________

**London, England; 8:01 pm; U.N conference building; John's Office;**

"So Eric is still riding you for that password, huh?" inquired Greg to his friend, John, who was still sitting at his computer desk, trying to guess the ever-elusive password, "How's that coming along?"

"Terrible…" groaned John, "I got nothing. All I know is that it's three characters long! It's driving me crazy!"

"I could see how it could do that to a guy," chortled Greg, "Didn't you say Eric found Daichi's old girlfriend living with Dorian? I bet she knows what the code is."

"That's what I told Eric but apparently Miyo has gone bat-shit crazy," informed John with a frown, "All she says now is 'Umi, Umi'. She's completely forgotten everything!"

"Heh. Well of all the damned luck."

Suddenly, their conversation was abruptly cut off by a loud knock on John's office door.

"Quick!" spat Greg in a hushed voice, "Turn off your computer! We can't let anyone see this! Turn it off!"

"I'm on it," informed John as he quickly punched the power button on his monitor, "Just give it a few seconds to shut down—"

Too late. The door opened and James Wesker, Jack's head goon, stepped into the room wearing a very excited expression- like a little kid on Christmas day.

"No, please. Let yourself in," scoffed Greg sarcastically.

James simply ignored his remark. "Gentlemen," he addressed formally, "I'm sorry to intrude. But I couldn't help overhear the two of you from outside in the corridor. I hope I didn't interrupt anything too important."

He shot John a knowing glance. "By the sound of it, you have been very hard at work lately, haven't you Withers?"

John's tongue locked up again as he tried to offer an explanation. "W-well… Yeah…"

"What was that about you trying to find a password?" queried James, his arrogant little smile curving further upward, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Whatever are you up to, John?"

John became powerless under his cold gaze. His brain went entirely numb, he couldn't think of anything to say in response and he knew that only made him look more suspicious.

"That's enough, Wesker," Greg said finally in a dangerously low whisper, "Why don't you tell us what you came here for and then I'll let you get acquainted with the door."

James diverted his gaze from John to Greg, shooting him an equally cold stare that had little to no effect on him. "Fine," he spat finally, "Dr. Lanyon talked it over with the Japs and finally got them to see the error of their ways. We'll be holding a video conference with them in the conference room at midday tomorrow-- that's twelve o'clock in case you didn't know, General Fears."

"Thank you for pointing that out, Wesker," said Greg with a sneer, "But enough talk, I'm sure you're very busy what with all the ass you have to kiss and all."

James's face flushed furiously at his words. "You know, someday that big mouth of yours is gonna be the death of you, Fears."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," retorted the aged general fiercely, "But until then I would like to look at you as little as possible. Get out of my site."

James scowled at him, nudging past him with unnecessary force to get to the door. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you at our meeting tomorrow," he growled, "I can't wait to hear what you might have to say about to the Japanese, J-J-John," he said, imitating John's unfortunate stutter, "I c-could use a g-g-good laugh."

"OUT!" barked Greg ferociously.

James shut the door behind him and laughed all the way down the hall as he went door to door to summon everyone the emergency meeting.

"Damn him!" cursed Greg, "That arrogant kid! I'd like to send a bullet flying right in between those cocky eyes of his."

"Yeah…" concurred John half-heartedly as he booted up his computer again.

Greg shot his friend a concerned look. "Hey," he said, his voice sounding much more caring now, "Don't let what he said get to you, John. You're a great speaker!"

John shot him a disbelieving look.

"Well…" Greg rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, "You are when you're not in front of people you don't know."

"Well then, I'm not a very good speaker, am I?" The computer monitor lit up again, revealing the same old picture he'd been staring at for weeks now. There was still that same old computer window with a blank text box in it for him to write the password, taunting him with its absence of any letters or numbers.

"You just need to stop worrying about what people think of what you have say and just say it," Greg said sagely, "If you're always unsure of how people are gonna take your message then you'll never get it out for them to consider. That's the key of public speaking."

"Yeah well, why do I need to have public speaking skills when you can just do all the talking for me?"

"True," laughed Greg as he glanced at John's computer screen, "You should probably call Eric again and see if he's got any more clues about the password since you last spoke."

"That probably won't do us any good but I need a break anyway so… sure. You call him."

"I can't," Greg informed, "I got to go get my uniform back from the cleaners before the 'emergency' conference. Pheh. 'Bullshit' conference more like. Jack instigated this whole feud against Japan and the U.N and there's no way he's suddenly decided to try and bring them back to the U.N. Something's up."

"Yeah you're telling me," scoffed John as snatched up his desk-phone and began dialing Eric's number, "Be ready for anything, Greg."

The ancient old general smiled at his colleague as he opened the office door to step out. "Aren't I always?" And with that he shut the door and left John to deal with Eric.

Eric was quick to answer this time. "_John? That you again?"_

"Oh damn, and I was trying to surprise you," said John with a sarcastic note in his voice, "Listen, I was wondering if you had any more clues about the password yet. I can't think of anything."

"_Sorry. Your guess is as good as mine."_

John sighed sadly, feeling very discouraged even though he had expected this kind of answer in the first place. His answer was always the same… why would it change now? "God, I hate repetition," he groaned to himself.

"_Me and you bo- oh God Damnit,"_ there was a loud clatter coming from Eric's end of the line, "_Umi! You spilt my tea all over my shirt! No, no, I don't want you to take it off. It's fine! It's fine, I'll clean it myself. Shoo! Shoo and be gone with you!"_

"_Umi…_" sighed a very sad and crestfallen voice.

"Was that Miyo?"

"_What do you think!?" _snapped Eric crossly, _"Awwwww… that's gonna stain."_

"Suck it up, pussy," jeered John, "Why does she keep saying 'Umi' anyway?"

"_Hell if I know. I think that was the name of Daichi's grandma though. She was a real nice lady." _

"What happened to her?"

"_Jack did. After Daichi died, Umi- the real Umi- went to console her Daichi's mom. Umi vanished that day and Daichi's mom was found hanging by a noose. I don't know if I already told you this but Jack set that whole thing up. He was the one who hung her after practically beating her to death."_

"Yeah you told me," John said sadly, "But let's change the subject. I'm sitting in front of my computer right now so how about you do some guessing at the password. Maybe you'll have better luck than I did."

"_It's only three letters right?"_

"Si, Senior," he said, speaking in Spanish for no particular reason that came to mind.

"_Top."_

"Tried it."

"_Pot… heh, heh. I love palindromes."_

"Are those the things that spell a different word when you spell one word backwards?"

"_Yeah. But I'm guessing you already tried _'pot'_?"_

"Uh-huh," he affirmed.

"_Hot."_

"Been done."

"_Not."_

"Can't even count the times I've tried that one."

"_Cot."_

"That was the first one I did."

"_Tot."_

"Okay, this isn't word association!" blurted John, his patience starting to run thin.

"_Okay, okay. Sorry. Hmmm…" _he paused for a moment as he thought of a next possible password, "_Okay try this… S—"_

"_Umi!"_ cried Miyo's voice from Eric's line, _"Umi! Umi! Umi!"_

"_No, shut up, Umi! I'm really busy."_

"_Umi! Umi! Umi! Umi!" _John noticed that her voice had lost its previous sense of playfulness. It sounded urgent, like she was trying to tell them something.

And then it hit him.

He placed his fingers over the keyboard with baited breath, his heart beating a thousand thumps a second. A bead of sweat accumulated on the tip of his nose and cascaded downward onto his hand as he pressed down slowly on the "U" key. The "U" showed up on the screen before him followed shortly by an "M" and an "I". "UMI"

This was it… the moment of truth.

He hit the "Enter" key…

"ACCESS GRANTED"

Was the first thing he saw immediately after he hit the "Enter" key.

"E-E-Eric…" he gasped as his computer slowly began to load the password protected files he had been waiting weeks to see.

"_No, hold on a second… try Sty."_

"Er-ric!"

"_No again? Damn… try 'Sex'."_

John was about to go into cardiac arrest, his body simply teeming with excitement. "I got it… It worked…"

"_Oh no way! It was 'Sex'?"_

"No! It was 'Umi'!" cried John happily, "Daichi must've told her the password before he died! She's just been repeating it ever since she lost her memory! It's the only thing she can remember, Eric!"

There was no response from the other line for about five minutes. "_Seriously?"_

"Yes!"

"_HA HA! Oh this is great! What's inside the file!? Tell me everything!"_

"All right, all right," he said, taking a deep breath to try and contain himself. He didn't even know what he was about to read but just the idea of finally laying his eyes on what he spent almost two whole months trying to find excited him to the point of exhaustion.

"It's some kind of journal by the looks of it," informed John after he saw the formant of the documents inside the floppy disk, "All of them are written by Daichi."

"_What's it say?"_

"Okay, this is his first entry, 'I have been assigned a new project by Lanyon. I have been ordered to research the location and origins of the forgotten species of _Homine Optimes_- which is Latin for _Prime Human_…'." John paused, his curiosity now more than just intrigued.

" 'I will be typing in this file to keep records of my progress to eventually hand in to Dr. Lanyon when the time is right.' And then we have the next one: 'I just discovered the location of the Homine Optimes skeletal remains… Hinamizawa… in my home town…' And then it just kind of goes on about some sentimental stuff. Ah, this looks interesting."

Eric nodded and continued to listen intently as Tony, Akasaka, Hiroaki, and Keiichi all gathered around him eagerly, trying to listen in.

"_It says,"_ continued John, _" 'I don't know how much longer I can continue this. I have already decided that my research is not meant for human eyes…'." _John's voice dropped its narrative tone and suddenly sounded distant… almost a little worried. _" 'The secrets I have overturned have driven most of my colleagues to the brink of insanity. Some have even gone as far as t-to… to take their own lives. I, myself, have already considered following in their footsteps. I don't know how I can bare this knowledge… Eric… if you are reading this… I ask you only continue reading if the need is dire…' Eric, I don't like where this is going."_

Eric exchanged looks with his friends and they all nodded. "We need to know, John."

No response…

"John, it's all right. Just keep on reading and we'll deal with-"

_Click._

John hung up.

Eric looked at Tony with a worried glance. "Try calling him again," proposed Akasaka.

Eric did try, time and time again but he never got a response. It just rang and rang and rang each time.

"What the hell do you think happened?" Keiichi asked.

"I don't know," Eric answered distantly, "But he sounded really upset."

Eric exited the small hut they were all standing in and stepped out into the village square along with his four friends.

"Something isn't right…" observed the old man, his youthful eyes scanning his still surroundings.

A brisk wind howled past them, whistling through the cracks of the rickety old houses.

"I know what you mean," concurred Tony in his squeaky voice, "There's definitely something… wrong."

The others could feel it too. It was like that pre-tornado feeling Keiichi would sometimes get during a particularly nasty storm. He didn't know how he knew a tornado was on its way… but whenever he got a feeling like this it never failed.

And judging by the loud gunshot that pierced the night at that very moment… it wasn't about to fail now either.

______________________________________________________________________________

Mion was resting her head on her pillow, her eyes puffy and red as she continued to sob into the blonde porcelain doll that she treasured so much. She wanted Keiichi now more than ever. Her life had just done a complete 180 degree turn with the return of her memories. Ryuu was a murderer! He had mutilated her! Just thinking about it made her squirm involuntarily.

But that wasn't why she was crying…

She herself did not know why her eyes were leaking so profusely into the soft, golden hair of her beloved doll. She felt a mixture of anger, sadness, and strangest of all… guilt. After she and her friends had received their flu shots she told them everything. And of course, they had insisted she tell the police. She did, and from there the horrible news spread like wildfire until it finally reached the ears of her grandmother and her mother. They were most displeased. As of now, Ryuu was a marked traitor to the village, basically a dead man. Mion didn't know if she wanted Ryuu to suffer the wrath of the villagers or not. Every time she tried to direct her anger at Ryuu she remembered his tortured face. That face was sad, beaten, and showed more suffering than Mion had ever experienced- even then. She couldn't get the image out of her head. Ryuu had suffered enough and now she had only worsened his misery by indirectly labeling him as an outcast. She wanted to see him again… to apologize… but at the same time she was afraid to be around him anymore. It was all too confusing!

And then it began. It started with the loud banging on her bedroom door which she didn't answer so Kasai opened the door for himself. Kasai's sunglasses had been cast aside and his usually tidy head of hair was wild and disheveled. His brown eyes were shimmering with fear as he dashed into her room. "Miss Mion!" he whispered urgently, "We need to get you to the chamber!"

Mion sat up, still trying to shield her red, teary eyes. "Why?"

Her answer came in the form of a gunshot from down the hall.

"What was that?"

"No time to explain!" he hissed as he swooped her up in his muscular arms, "We need to go. Now!"

Mion let Kasai hoist her over his shoulder with one hand as he removed a pistol with the other and kept it aimed at the doorframe.

"What the hell is that for?"

Kasai didn't answer as he moved for the large window at Mion's bedside and quietly slid it open. He stuck one leg out of the window before a large, pale man holding a Tommy-gun appeared at the threshold of Mion's room. Kasai quickly fired two bullets into the man's chest before Mion could register what was going on.

"Oh my God!" she cried, "Kasai! What are you doing!?"

"No time," he said again as he continued to struggle out of the window and into the backyard.

"They're back here," came a very deep voice with a thick Russian accent which triggered the sound of multiple footsteps marching for Mion's room. Kasai was still trying to get out of the window when four more men showed up.

Kasai had no time to think, he looked quickly to Mion and mouthed the words, "Go for the chamber. Lock yourself in," before he dropped her outside.

Mion remained frozen before Kasai shot her an intense look that told her to run. She did just that just as Kasai removed a second pistol from his pocket and aimed them both at the four intruders. Mion ducked her head as bullets zoomed past Kasai's hulking frame and out the window, coming dangerously close to Mion herself.

Mion summoned the courage to look back at Kasai, still standing outside her room with one leg stuck in the window as he fired away at the soldiers. Finally however, a shot finally reached the large man and pierced his sternum, making his body go limp with cold, cold death.

Mion cupped her hands over her mouth to stop herself from screaming at the sight of Kasai's limp body. She still didn't know what was going on or who these people were but it no longer mattered. The only thought on her mind was Kasai's last words to her.

"_Go for the chamber. Lock yourself in."_

She dashed for the large metal door in the side of the rock hill in the borders of the Sonozaki estate. Would she be safe there? It wouldn't be the first time highly trained soldiers would be able to penetrate the two steel doors sealing her in there and _these_ soldiers seemed much more sophisticated in warfare. But it was her only option. She wrapped her hands on the steel handles but they wouldn't budge.

"There's one!" cried a voice from behind her, "Shoot to kill!"

Mion was now frantically pounding on the door. "Help! Help! It's Mion! Sonozaki Mion! Open the door!"

She heard a distant shuffling of feet from the other side in response. "Hurry! Hurry!" she cried.

"Kill her!" ordered another voice belonging to the Russian soldiers.

One or two bullets zipped past her and dented the steel double doors with a metallic _cling_. Mion looked back at her assailants and had just enough time to dodge a bullet that was only a few feet from her heart. But she wasn't quick enough…

A horrid pain erupted in Mion's arm that caused her to grimace in pain. She dared herself to glance down at the blood seeping through her yellow shirt and trickling down her wounded arm. But finally, her salvation arrived in the form of the massive steel doors behind her slowly creaking open from the inside. Mion dashed in through the tiny gap in the two doors and used all her strength to slam the doors shut and lock them tight.

"Oh Mion!" exclaimed the tiny, old woman as she threw herself around her, "Oh God… I'm so happy to see you safe."

"Oni-baba?"

"What? A grandmother can't be happy to see her granddaughter alive? Oh! What happened to your arm?"

"I got shot," she said simply, "Where's mom?"

"She's here too, along with your uncle and that Irie kid," she said in her usual gruff voice, "Come one. We need to get you to Ken."

"Why?"

"Because he can fix up your arm, you silly girl!" she snapped, sounding just like her old self again.

"He's awake?"

"Yeah, he woke up last night after your mom sent you to bed. Damn kid wouldn't shut the hell up about his damn music."

"That sounds like Ken all right."

"Turns out I was right though, Jack _did_ take your sister and his brothers. No wonder Lanyon was so persistent on searching our house for him. And now Jack's decided to use force to find him… well two can play at that game!"

"Wait, Jack is the one behind this?"

"Who else?" she answered, "I got a heads up from one of the villagers. Apparently one of his precious towers has been destroyed and he's blaming it all on us. Not only that, that bastard took down the entire police force and several villagers as well. The good news is that other Maebara kid was among the dead."

Mion stopped in her tracks. "Ryuu?"

"Yeah that was his name. Saves us the trouble of hunting him down."

Mion didn't know how to react. Happiness? Sadness? She knew she should be feeling the former but the only thing she felt right now was remorse for Ryuu's death.

"That boy was a murderer," growled Oryo, "We're better off without him."

Mion didn't answer. In the back of her head however, she was disagreeing strongly.

After a short silence, the two women passed by the weapons shed. Oryo froze. "Wait here a second," she said as she ducked inside the shed and returned with two sheathed katanas. "Here," she handed one to Mion, "Just in case…"

Finally, the two of them arrived at the bottom of the chamber- the section that was encircled with a brown cave wall that was decorated with a great man barred prison cells. At the base of it sat about ten people. Most were villagers Mion didn't have the time to recognize but she did recognize her mother, her uncle who owned the toy shop, and Ken Irie who looked thinner than she had ever seen him.

"Mion!" exclaimed her mother as she leaped up and embraced her daughter forcefully, stroking her green hair and kissing her on the forehead, "Oh… I thought I lost you…"

"I'm fine…" lied Mion, trying to not get her mother worked up about the bullet wound in her arm.

"I'm glad, I'm glad," sighed her mother with relief, "…where's Kasai?"

Her only response her head tilting downward in grief at the thought of her sister's dead bodyguard who had given his life to help Mion. The second her family saw her face they knew what had happened.

"Oh no…" gasped her mother as she took a seat next to her brother, "Oh god… this is terrible…"

"What happened to your arm, Miss Sonozaki Mion-san?" inquired Ken Irie as he squinted his eyes, "Looks like a bullet wound."

"Yeah…" Mion affirmed absently.

"Well, let me take a look at that." And just as Ken stood up, there was a loud boom followed by a tremor that caused both Mion and Ken to lose their balance and fall to the floor.

"They busted open the door!" cried her uncle in panic, "Everyone! Follow me and I can help evacuate you!"

The other villagers stirred with alarm as the thundering footsteps of Jack's soldiers closed in around them.

"That won't do you any good!" cried Oryo, "Somehow Jack knew about the escape route and he had it caved in from the outside!"

"Well what do we do?!" cried a villager helplessly.

"We fight!" Oryo said simply, unsheathing her katana and motioning for Mion to do the same.

Mion tried to remove her blade from its sheath but her shoulder suddenly erupted in pain from the motion she made to do so and she dropped it.

"Are you mad, Mion?" cried Ken, "You can't hold that thing! It's too heavy for your arm right now!"

The footsteps were growing louder.

"Fine!" spat her grandmother, "Ken, time for you to repay us for housing you. You take the sword and help me defend the villagers!"

Mion could see the shine of the soldier's helmets as they emerged from the dark tunnel that led into their last sanctuary.

"B-but I can't!"

"Oh fine!" cursed Oryo again, lifting up the second Katana so she had one in each hand, "Coward!"

Mion had to admire her grandmother's strength. The Katana was a surprisingly heavy weapon and for a woman of her years to be holding to was completely mind blowing.

Finally, the soldiers emerged from the dark tunnel, fully armed and ready to kill. Jack was in the lead, holstering a shotgun in his one remaining hand.

Oryo assumed a battle stance, preparing herself to charge Jack with full force. "Well Lanyon, now I can show you I wasn't lying all those times when I said I'd run you through with one of these things," she snickered, motioning to her weapons.

"Indeed," Jack concurred, his arrogant smile not faltering in the least, "But you forget… _I _have guns and all you have are two rods of tempered steel."

"Don't underestimate me Lanyon, I could beat you whether you had your guns or not!"

Jack's smile faltered for a second. Clearly, Jack was a man who did not like to be challenged. "Is that so? Well I'll tell you what, Oryo-sama. Just to make it fair for you I'll take one of those Katanas off your hands and we'll have a duel to the death. Hell, I'll even order my men to stand down."

"Ha! You have _one_ arm! What do you plan on doing against a woman with two!?"

"Now who's underestimating who?"

There was a brief silence. Neither groups of people moved as Oryo and Jack's eyes locked with a hateful intensity Mion had never seen emanate from either person before. Her grandmother smiled in acceptance. "Very well," she said, "I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into, Lanyon. Here, catch."

Oryo threw the Katana in the air for Jack to catch. And to her surprise, he actually caught it. He caught it right on the hilt of the sword, carefully avoiding the sharp blade, and with only one hand. Oryo's smile faded.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, old hag."

"Well said." Her grandmother assumed a fighting stance. "Time to end this."

Jack's smile only widened as he assumed his stance, wielding the katana as if it were an English Rapier. Oryo was the first to strike, racing forward with her Katana raised high and swinging it down before Jack could lunge at her exposed chest. But Jack was equally fast, deflecting her blow with a simple flick of his wrist. Their blades locked for a moment as their gazes locked. Oryo's was filled with astonishment while Jack's was filled with only pride and sheer arrogance.

"Yes, let us end this once and for all!" He swung his blade up, causing Oryo to stumble back by the sheer force of the motion. Jack dashed forward and made a lunge for Oryo's gut but she deflected it quickly and swung her sword horizontally at his ribs. Jack simply leaped back so that the blade barely missed him and pounced forward again while making a stabbing motion with his sword.

"We have to do something!" whispered Mion to her uncle, "Jack's winning!"

"Relax," he soothed, "She's been in worse fights and lived."

Mion doubted it…

Oryo and Jack continued their fierce duel; the only sound they made was the clash of their blades or the occasional grunt or battle cry. Oryo was starting to sweat now, which made Mion fear she would lose her grip on her katana which would indeed in this duel in a heartbeat. But she held on tight and no matter how long the fight went on she did not lose her ferocity. If anything, the strength in her blows only began to increase as the duel prolonged. Jack was starting to have trouble deflecting her blows with the ease he had at the match's start. Either Oryo was getting stronger or Jack was getting tired.

"You're very good," complimented Oryo as she made a diagonal slash which Jack was hasty to block, "I'm surprised you're still breathing."

"Woman, every time I see you breathing is a wonder to me. It seems age has yet to cripple you."

"Demons don't grow old," laughed the old woman sinisterly.

"HA HA HA! Oh… you don't know the half of it!"

Jack made a powerful thrust inward with his blade but Oryo dodged it in the nick of time and then lunged forward at Jack's now exposed belly with her blade. Now it was Jack's turn to dodge and he would've been successful if it weren't for the large rock that had been hidden right behind his heel. He tripped backwards on the rock and landed on the hard stone floor with a hollow thud, his katana sliding across the ground with a metallic grinding. Mion and the other villagers jumped for joy at Oryo's victory.

The old woman placed her boot on Jack's chest, keeping him firmly rooted to the ground as she brought her sword to his Adam's apple in his throat.

"Any last words?" she queried as the point of her blade began to dig into his flesh.

"I have words," he gasped, completely out of breath, "But they will not be my last…"

Oryo shot him an inquisitive look.

"Kill her!" he roared.

Oryo looked at the mass of soldiers gathered in front of her with fearful eyes. While she was distracted Jack knocked the blade from her hands, sending it skidding across the floor in the opposite direction as his. Mion tried to stand up and save her grandmother but her uncle kept her rooted in place, roughly guiding her head downward and shielding her from the impending barrage of bullets.

Mion closed her eyes and clamped her hands over her ears, dulling out the harsh sound of gunfire and the sickening cracking of her grandmother's bones as bullet after bullet tore through her. Mion felt the warm splash of her Oni-baba's blood on her hair until at last the gunfire ceased. The last sound she heard the hollow thud of her grandmother's body collapsing onto the stone ground.

She could not dare herself to look at the sure to be bloody scene around her because she knew that her blood would be soon added to the floors and walls, along with the rest of her family and the villagers. She pressed her hands over her ears as hard as she could, hoping to God she could block out all sound completely.

She waited for the bullets to pierce her skin, silently praying they did not miss. All she heard were footsteps and then… cheering? Cheering… from her side of the cave? She opened her eyes and at first all she saw was her grandmother's corpse but it wasn't long until she noticed other corpses that had been added to the floor. Corpses of the soldiers!

She saw the remaining soldiers firing blindly in all directions for whoever had taken down their comrades.

Jack, who was now covered in Oryo's blood, called out to the cave walls. "Maebara!" he screamed, "Where the hell are you!?"

"_Maebara? Does he mean Keiichi?"_

The soldiers stopped firing and simply waited for the "invisible" enemy to make his next move. The next thing Mion knew, the two Katanas that once lay strewn upon the floor where quickly snatched up by a young man coated in blood. As soon as the soldiers saw him they opened fire as quickly as they could but the man dodged every single last bullet, bending in all directions imaginable to avoid their fire. He even deflected a few shots with his katanas.

The man swung his blade upward on a soldier, slicing off his arm and sending it flying upward into the air just in time to intercept a round of bullets that were coming his way. He sunk the second blade into the soldier's gut and killed him instantly.

That rare look of fear was visible in Jack's eyes once again as he silently ducked out of the chamber without being seen by anyone, not even his own men. The villager's rescuer did not cease in his attack even after the soldiers surrendered. He tore through every last one of them until there were none left standing. The man's greasy hair hung over his face, shielding his eyes from the villagers he just saved. He was panting heavily, like he had just circled the globe five times on foot. His knees wobbled as he staggered forward, the grip on his blades lessening until they slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground. Finally, he fell to his knees and passed out on the floor. Mion rushed forward along with the other villagers gathered and brushed aside his greasy hair to se Ryuu's eyes shut tight as if he were only sleeping.

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Tah-dah! That was a fun chapter. Yup, yup, yup. I enjoyed it, a lot happened. But next chapter is when things start to get intense. I can't wait to start writing that one, golly-gee. Oh wait, I can't. Why do you ask? Because the very same virus I thought I had eradicated a week ago has come to haunt me from the grave. :O So now I have to go BACK to my local repair center and ask them to fix my computer… AGAIN! Good news is I think I know why I couldn't kill the virus first time around so now this should never happen again. But I probably won't be able to get it fixed tomorrow so I may start working on the next chapter then.

Also, I just figured out that this fanfiction… yes, the very same one you are reading right now… officially has enough words to pass for a real book

…I can't decide if that's cool or just downright depressing.

Anyway, I'll try to get the next one out to you ASAP. (That doesn't mean it will be quick- I'm not promising anything.)

Hope you guys liked the first of the beloved "End Chapters"!

Don't forget to leave a comment! :D


	26. Chapter 25: Together Again

Chapter 25: Together Again

The sun was rising in the sky over Hiroaki's once tranquil sanctuary hidden high in the hills of Hinamizawa, its radiant light now glistening in the pools of blood that streaked across the slabs of stone that coated the courtyards surface. An old man stood in front of a barren peach tree with tears in his eyes as he looked at his brothers who had fallen in the heat of the battle that ensued the previous night. He lost so many good men… good friends whom he had come to acknowledge as his family. His only source of solace were the corpses of his attackers—the corpses of Jack's men that were now being piled high by all the others while Hiroaki did his best to identify his fallen comrades. They had held off the sanctuary from Jack's men. Hiroaki had fought with a ferocity that left Keiichi and the others in wonderment. He had never seen such a feral look in somebody's eyes before. He looked like a trained killer as opposed to the sake-drinking, wise-cracking, old man Keiichi had come to know. And now, the youthful look in Hiroaki's eyes had all but evaporated, leaving nothing but pained, teary eyes in their place. Keiichi couldn't help but be reminded of a wounded puppy at the sadness in his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" inquired Keiichi in a very uncomfortable tone.

Hiroaki's eyes diverted their gaze from his fallen brethren to Keiichi. "These were my friends," he said, looking back on the bodies strewn about the ground, "They were my brothers and my sisters… I loved them all like family…" Hiroaki used the baggy sleeve of his kimono to wipe away the tears accumulating in his eyes. "When they came to me they were all so scared and confused. They were usually running from something or someone and tried to hide themselves up in this hill before they found out I already lived here. I never turned down a man or woman I thought was in need. I promised them protection…" The old man paused as he fought back a sob building up in his throat. "I swore they'd be safe here… I lied…"

Keiichi was suddenly filled with pity as the old man hung his head in shame, as if he truly thought that the blood of his fallen comrades was on his hands.

"This isn't your fault, Hiroaki," assured Keiichi, "You didn't send those men here to try and kill us all. You know as well as I do that was Lanyon's fault—all of this is Lanyon's fault."

"Lanyon…"

"Yes, Lanyon's fault… not you… this isn't your—"

Hiroaki cut him off by unsheathing his blade loudly which immediately seized the attention of all those around him; his eyes suddenly alight with hatred and outrage. "LANYON!!" he roared, staggering to the edge of the hill and looking outwards to the village that lay below them. He raised his katana towards the village, no longer holding back the red hot tears that had been building up in his eyes for so long.

"JACK LANYON, I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!!" he hollered on the top of his lungs with the viciousness of a lion.

Suddenly, all eyes turned on Hiroaki and what remained of Hiroaki's refugees slowly began to gather behind him, looking out at the village along with him with matched intensity in their eyes.

Keiichi, Eric, Tony, and Akasaka all exchanged nervous looks. There were at least one hundred men and women in front of them with katanas ready in their hands and vengeful looks in their eyes. God help the poor fools who dared challenge these one hundred determined looking militants.

"I HAVE HAD ENOUGH!!" bellowed the old man, "FOR TOO LONG HAVE I STOOD IDLE AND ALLOWED YOU TO TEAR COUNTLESS LIVES APART! FOR TOO LONG HAVE I ALLOWED YOU TO HAUNT MY MEMORIES!! FOR TOO LONG HAVE I HID FROM YOU LIKE AN OLD COWARD AS YOU RAVAGED ENTIRE CITIES WITH YOUR GREED!! NO MORE!!" Hiroaki turned to his faithful followers and scanned them all with his eyes. "My friends… Since I took you in you have been of great help to me. You helped build our hidden sanctuary so others like us could seek refuge in our company. I have asked much of you… but now I must ask another favor… one I will understand if you decide to reject," Hiroaki quickly glanced back at the village, "The blood of our family was spilt last night before it was their time. Jack Lanyon had decided to take upon himself, the role of Father Death! And the atrocity he committed last night is only one crime in a long line of murders and genocides that have been ignored for far too long! Many young men, women, and even children sacrificed themselves to defend me and you from Jack's most recent of onslaughts and their deaths shall not go unpunished! Friends, I ask you for one last favor. Come with me, and we shall avenge our family or die trying!"

The old man's lengthy speech was answered by a loud chorus of viciously eager battle cries and the unsheathing of one hundred katanas. There may have only been one-hundred men and women gathered in the courtyard that day, but they sounded like ten-thousand proud soldiers preparing for the final charge on the field of battle.

Tony made an impressed whistle and nudged Akasaka in the arm. "Old man's got a way with words," he commented.

Meanwhile, under the shadow of the giant hill that towered over Hinamizawa, the villagers had all gathered in secret to the Sonozaki chamber, most of them a little scared about recent events. News of Jack's hasty termination of all "witnesses" yesterday spread like wildfire and sent a tremor of panic circulating through town. The villagers sensed that yesterday's massacre would not be the last.

The day was still very young when the last of the villagers finally packed themselves into the now crowded chamber deep beneath Sonozaki manor, everyone pushing past one another to try and get to the front where the only remaining village head stood: old man Kimiyoshi.

Mion, however, was not present for this village gathering for she already knew its purpose. It was to inform the villagers of Oryo's murder and to address Jack's recent behavior. She had more important things to worry about right now… like her wounded arm.

"Sorry," said Ken quickly as he made a crooked jab at her arm with the needle he was using to stitch her wound, "I'm not very good at this kind of stuff."

"It's fine…" she mumbled absently, not even realizing the sharp sting in her arm as Ken made his clumsy stitch.

The twitchy young doctor looked at her cautiously, fearing she would lash out at him when he least expected for his clumsiness. But to his relief, she remained completely quiet which, while odd for Mion Sonozaki's usual behavior, was of great solace to the inexperienced doctor.

"You know, stitches were usually more of Hitoshi's thing," informed Ken, smiling faintly at the thought of his larger brother, "He had real steady hands. But look at me! I'm only in my twenties and my hands shake so bad you'd think we were having an earthquake. Heh, heh, heh." He looked expectantly to Mion, hoping he would have triggered some sort of smile on her solemn looking face. But alas, she remained completely stone faced. Finally abandoning his quest to make conversation, he diverted all his concentration to patching up Mion's arm without making her wound any worse.

After about an hour of trial-and-error, Ken sighed with satisfaction at his handiwork. "You're all set," he exclaimed proudly, "Just don't go swimming or anything like that. And of course: don't scratch it!" He stood up and packed up his medical supplies in a large leather pouch. "You should get back to the meeting, Sonozaki Mion-sama. I need to check on that Maebara kid."

"Wait," Mion said suddenly, "Why did you call me '_sama_'?"

Ken brushed the dust off his jacket, saying, "Well, you are the head of the Sonozaki family now, am I correct? With your grandmother gone and your mother disinherited that only leaves you, Mion-sama."

She hadn't thought of that. All her grandmother's responsibilities, they were hers now. There was actually supposed to be a big ceremony for the "transition of power" but given the current circumstances that would probably have to wait.

"I am sorry… for your loss, Mion-sama," said Ken with a respectful bow, "Please excuse me."

Mion only nodded in response, her mind much too overburdened to concentrate on anything else. So, to occupy her thoughts elsewhere, she stood up from the cold stone floor, wincing a bit as her arm surprised her with a slight lingering pain, and she marched off to the chamber where all the villagers where gathered. She quickly located her friends Rena, Satoko, Hanyuu, and Rika, using their brightly colored hair to pinpoint their location. The four of them were gathered at the far back of the crowd, the three younger girls standing on the tips of their toes to get a better view of old man Kimiyoshi.

Mion didn't bother listening to the old man's words. She just wanted to talk with her friends right now. She got their attention and pulled them aside, leading them down one of the dark tunnels so they could have their privacy.

"We're so sorry to hear about your grandma, Mii-chan," said Rika softly when they had fully detached themselves from the crowd, "She was a nice lady once you got to know her."

"That was just the kind of woman she was, Rika," smiled Mion, "and thanks."

They each exchanged very caring faces with one another. It felt good to see that they were still unhurt. It seemed like a miracle that they managed to stay alive when they were losing so many people they cared about left and right. First Oishi is murdered, then Shion and the Irie brothers are abducted by Jack, then Keiichi's parents die along with so many others in an explosion, and then Kasai and her grandmother both die on the same night. She didn't know how much more death she could take and she knew that it would only get worse from here.

"Mii-chan," said Rena suddenly, "is it true that Ru-kun is dead? My dad told me he was shot with everyone else at the fire last night… is it true Mion? Is it?"

Mion simply shook her head "no". "No," she answered, "Ru-kun… I mean Ryuu saved us last night."

Rena's face lit up at the news. "I knew it!" she squeaked, "I knew Ru-kun wouldn't die!"

"Shhh!" hissed Mion quickly, "Keep your voice down!"

"Sorry," she whispered, trying to contain her happiness, "I was really worried last night and… oh…"

"What's wrong?"

"It's just that… Mii-chan must not be very happy Ru-kun didn't die."

Mion raised a confused eyebrow at her comment. "And why would that be?"

"Because… you remember what Ru-kun did to you now. I think Mii-chan was pretty mad last night about that…"

Mion could only smile at how timid she looked right now. "How can I stay mad at a member of our gang? He's part of the club and as a rule: the club leader must love all her loyal subjects equally."

"All her subjects?" cooed Satoko with a wicked little grin, "How about Kei-chan then? Hmmmm?"

Mion blushed with embarrassment. "Sh-shut up," she snapped.

______________________________________________________________________________

"_I have learned something no human should bare knowing…_"

That was how Daichi's journal entries came to a close… that one phrase.

"_I have learned something no human should bare knowing…"_

John had to agree. For he too now knew something he could hardly stand having knowledge of. It gave new meaning to the phrase: "Some secrets are best left untold." This was one of those secrets and it shook him to his very core. He cursed himself for not heeding Daichi's warning about not continuing to read the journal unless the need was dire. This secret was driving him mad.

Suddenly, John was startled by the electronic ringing of his telephone. He answered, knowing full well whose voice would be on the other end.

"_John?"_ said Eric's voice, _"Hello? John? Are you there?"_

"I'm here…" he said, "What do you want?"

Eric exchanged nervous looks with Keiichi, who was sitting in the seat next to him inside Tony's car which they were using to commute back to the village. "John, we need you to tell us what Daichi said. It could be important."

"_I can't…" _said John, his voice trembling as if he were on the verge of tears, "_I don't want to talk about it."_

"John, you need to man up! This is bigger than you or me!"

There was a manic laugh coming from John's end of the line. "_Eh he heh…. You don't know the half of it…"_

"John, just tell me what it said!"

"_You know what? I'll do you one better. I've already E-mailed you the file. But in all seriousness… read at your own risk."_

"Oh come on John, It couldn't have been—"

_Click_

John hung up again.

"Damnit!" he cursed, "That little…" He trailed off, reciting a long list of swear words under his breath that not even Keiichi had heard of before.

"Gah no… my poor virgin ears," said Tony monotonously, "Give the kid a break, Eric."

"Well, I would break his spine… if he had one… that little…"

"Cool it," advised Tony again, "We're almost at the village. Anyone here have a computer?"

"I have one in my office," said Eric, "But I gave my keys to Sonozaki Mion."

"Why?"

"She's the class president. I gave her the keys so she could get papers and stuff for Miss Chie and lock up at the end of the day."

"Well, that's just great," spat Tony, "It's Sunday, the kids are all gonna be at home."

"Okay, just drive up to Sonozaki manor and I'll get the ke—"

"I'll get the keys!" Keiichi blurted, earning him a few bewildered stares from the others, "Well, ya know… she's my girlfriend and all and I haven't seen her in a while so—"

"Ah okay, we get it, we get it," chuckled Akasaka, "All that phone-sex just ain't doing it for ya'?"

"I wasn't having—!"

"Nice," interrupted Tony, pounding his tiny fist against Akasaka's enormous one.

Finally, after the three adults spent a good fifteen minutes teasing Keiichi, they finally pulled into the village.

"Where is everybody?" Keiichi asked, pointing out the absence of any human life, "There's usually at least one person walking around. I thought for sure I'd see the club out today on a Sunday."

"Maybe it's the weather," proposed Tony, referring to the dark and dismally gray clouds that loomed overhead, "Looks like rain to me."

The rest of the car ride was spent in dead silence as they drove under the menacing figures of the siren-towers above them on either sides of the road. The only other sound was coming from Tony, who was now whistling the _Twilight Zone_ theme aloud.

"Will you cut that out!?" snapped Eric irritably.

"Well, excuse me for trying to be the comic-relief," scoffed Tony.

"Make a right here," instructed Keiichi, "Mion's house is right down that road."

Tony did as he was told, driving down the right road and eventually coming to a stop in front of Sonozaki manor. But immediately, the four men knew something was wrong. The large, Japanese style gateway Keiichi always passed under to visit Mion had toppled over on its side as if someone took a wrecking ball to it. There was also an array of footprints moving frantically in all directions. But most disturbing of all was the human corpse in front of them.

"Oh my God, that's a Soviet trooper!" exclaimed Tony, "The same ones that attacked us last night!"

Keiichi's stomach tightened with fear. _"Mion!"_ he exclaimed mentally. Without thinking, Keiichi kicked his car door open and removed the pistol Eric had given him from his jacket pocket.

"Are you crazy!?" hissed Tony, "If they're still here you'll be killed!"

"Mion might still be in there!" he whispered back, "And I might not be killed if you guys come with me!"

Tony and Eric exchanged unsure glances. "We're not soldiers, Maebara," reasoned Eric, "These are fully trained and fully armed men. You're no good to us dead!"

Keiichi ignored him and shut his door, stepping around the car and warily proceeding into grounds with his gun held ready.

Akasaka shot his two colleagues a disappointed look and stepped out of the car to assist Keiichi.

Eric sighed, defeated, and began to open his door.

"You're not going are you?" Tony inquired, "Did you see what those guys did to Hiroaki's men last night?! They slaughtered them! The only reason Hiroaki won was because he had the advantage of numbers on his side!"

"Yes but this time _we_ have the element of surprise," said Eric, loading his pistol before swinging his door open, "And if that kid dies I won't be able to live with myself."

Tony opened his mouth to speak but couldn't think of anything to continue his argument with. "Fine…" he groaned, opening his door and joining Eric outside, "I guess I don't really have a choice… Damnit."

"Just stay close and we'll be fine."

Eric and Tony met up with Keiichi and Akasaka inside the manor to behold the destruction within. Tables were overturned, floorboards were broken in, the thin paper walls were torn, and the entire place reeked of blood.

"Look!" said Keiichi, pointing at the corpses of Jack's men, "Just bad guy bodies! Maybe they held them off!"

"Don't get your hopes too high, kid," advised Tony, "Did you guys already check the place?"

"Yeah, there's no one inside," informed Akasaka, "They must've ran away."

"No, not Oryo," said Keiichi, "They went to the chamber. Follow me."

Keiichi led the four of them out to the backyard and immediately they noticed that the large steel doors that Keiichi usually saw at the far end of the estate had been completely blown off. There was nothing there but the large stone doorway that led into the chamber. Keiichi instinctively raised his weapon again, prepared for anything.

Each step Keiichi took was carefully plotted as he inched closer towards the chamber. He would find either his friends on the other side of that door or his demise and by the time Keiichi was only a few feet away from the chamber entrance he didn't think he was ready to find out.

_Snap!_

Four ropes just snapped up from the ground, each rope strung to its own tree and as the ropes began to tighten a large fishnet arose from the ground beneath each of them, bagging them all suspended from the ground.

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!" chanted Tony, his eyes wide in shock.

"Damnit! I can't move!" grunted Akasaka as he struggled with the fishnet that had trapped the four of them, "This thing is tough."

"All right! Everyone just remain calm!" cried Eric, not sounding very calm himself, "On the count of three we are going to—Maebara! What the hell is so funny?!"

Keiichi, who was currently being crushed under the weight of the three other men, couldn't stop his laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!! Good one Satoko!"

Tony and Akasaka exchanged bemused looks.

"Oh…" said Eric in realization, suddenly recalling the blonde little deviant he had as a student back at school, "Oh I see… She is getting a detention for this…"

"What the hell are you two talking about?!" cried Tony, "I'm claustrophobic! I don't do well in small spaces!"

"I don't think a detention is bad enough," continued Eric, ignoring Tony's cries and Keiichi's uncontrollable laughter, "Suspension… definitely a suspension."

"Oh my God I'm gonna throw up!" warned Tony with a sickly look on his face, "I'm gonna barf, I'm gonna barf on all of you…"

"You're all freaking insane!" bellowed Akasaka, whose comment went ignored by all three of them.

"Ha ha ha ha!! Okay Satoko! You can cut us down now," laughed Keiichi.

Much to the other men's surprise, the fishing net containing the suddenly dropped from the trees and a small blonde girl emerged from the chamber's entrance with the a triumphant smile on her face.

"Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!" she laughed maniacally, "Nothing lifts my spirits more than seeing you squirm, Kei-chan!"

"You got me good, Satoko!" he laughed as stood up from the ground, rubbing his now bruised shoulder.

Suddenly, the young girl's face dropped. "Awwww… come on… don't be like that. It's never any fun if you don't get mad."

"Oh really?" snickered Keiichi, "I'll have to remember that next time you try to pull one of your tricks on me."

"Detention!" blurted Eric with one finger pointed at Satoko, now once again resuming his role as "Mr. Akira", "No… suspension. NO!... Expulsion."

"Hey there, Akira-sensei!" chimed little Rika Furude who just stepped out from behind the cover of Satoko, "What were you doing sneaking around Mii-chan's house?"

"That is classified!" he retorted, "And I think Miss Hojo owes me an apology!"

Satoko shrugged. "Hey, I only have one day a week when you're not the boss of me. Let me live it to its fullest."

Eric sighed in defeat and resigned to help the other two men up and try and bring Tony out of a small conniption he was having.

"It was such a small place…" he said with a little twitch, "So… so unbearably small…"

"Is he okay?" asked Rika.

"He'll be fine," answered Akasaka, "Good to see you again, Furude-san."

Rika's face suddenly lit up. "Akasaka-san!" she squealed as she ran up to him and hugged him around his legs, "Yay! Now that Akasaka-san is here we'll be safe!"

Suddenly, the jovial mood did a sudden turn around.

"Safe?" Keiichi queried, "That reminds me. What are you and Satoko doing in Sonozaki manor, Rika?"

"Everyone's here today, Kei-chan!" she exclaimed happily, as if this were a good thing, "Everyone ran away from the bad men. Bad, bad men!"

Keiichi gave her an inquisitive look. "What does that—"

"Come on, Akasaka-san!" said Rika happily, "Let's go downstairs!"

"Oh, okay." And with that, Rika took Akasaka by his hand and led him to the basement with the others close behind. Finally, when they came out onto the chamber's basement they where fondly greeted by almost every villager Keiichi had ever seen wandering the town. Everyone in the town had to be here!

"Oh god…" said Tony in a queasy voice, "This place is too crowded…"

"It's okay man, it's okay," soothed Eric, patting him on the back, "Deep breaths. Keiichi, try and find Mion to see if she's got the key on her or not. We really need to see that file!"

Keiichi nodded in agreement but he still had no idea how he would be able to find Mion in this mess of people.

But luckily… Mion found him first.

"Keiichi! Keiichi!" cried a familiar voice from across the chamber, "Kei-chan!"

"Mion!" He still couldn't see her but he heard her voice as clear as day. He followed it to the best of his ability, pushing past the sea of people in desperate search for the greed-topped girl.

"Keiichi!" she cried again, "Keiichi! Over here!"

Keiichi caught a glimpse of her lime-green hair poking out from the hectic sea of villagers, like a lighthouse on a dark and stormy night. "Mion!" he exclaimed. Without thinking twice, Keiichi practically bulldozed over anyone in his way to Mion until at long last he could see her turquoise eyes. The two of them collided in a loving embrace, barraging one another with kisses until their lips had touched every inch of their counterpart's face. Keiichi stroked her soft cheeks with his thumb, feeling like the luckiest man in the world.

"Eh hem…" intruded a very stern sounding voice. Keiichi recognized it immediately and slowly he turned around and came face to face with his brother. Keiichi's smile faltered when he saw the condition his brother was in. His cranium was wrapped in a white linen bandage and he had at least six or seven stitches on his face. He also wore no shirt. Instead, the only thing covering his chest was yet another linen bandage that ran diagonally from his left shoulder to his waist. And what he could see of Ryuu's skin was badly bruised, making it look like he had just been trampled by a raging stampede of stallions.

Any grudge he held for his brother because of his past life vanished immediately when he saw how badly beaten Ryuu was. "Oh my God…" gasped Keiichi, "W-what happened to you?"

Ryuu shrugged. "Meh… Mion's taking her punishment games to new heights," snickered Ryuu with a grin directed at Mion, "But I'll be all right."

"Oh knock it off!" snapped Mion playfully, "He's a hero! Last night, he swooped in at the last minute and saved me and a few other villagers!"

"Seriously?"

"Well… you know how much I hate to brag but… let's just say Mion owes _me_ a punishment game."

"Yeah, we'll see about that," laughed Mion as she wrapped her arms around Keiichi's waist from behind him.

Keiichi turned around in her arms so he was facing her. "Speaking of debts," said Keiichi after he kissed Mion lightly on the forehead, "I owe you an answer to that question you asked me over the phone. The one about me staying in the village."

Mion perked up. "Yeah?"

"Well after a lot of thinking and sage words of advice from a new friend of mine," Keiichi grinned as he thought of Hiroaki, "I decided that college doesn't really matter when I got my future right here with you."

Mion's face blushed intensely as she searched for a reply.

"I love you, Sonozaki Mion."

"_Say something!" _hissed a voice in her head, _"He's gonna think you don't like him unless you SAY SOMETHING!"_

"I-I-I… I love you too, Kei-chan…"

And with that, the two of them sealed their exchange of _I love you_'s with a powerful, tender kiss that had all the feeling and potency of their very first kiss.

It probably would have lasted for days if they weren't interrupted by a very low whistle.

"Wow…" said Tony in his squeaky voice, tapping his foot impatiently, "You have a very, _very_ interesting way of asking someone for the keys, Maebara Keiichi-san."

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Awww… I liked this chapter. It was refreshing to take a break from the bleak, darkness that surrounds our heroes and focus on a happier, more friendly mood. It felt good to put the gang back together again.

Anyway, If you haven't already noticed this, I uploaded two chapters… AT THE SAME TIME! I know, I'm a nonconformist. Yeah, I originally wrote this chapter and the next chapter as one big chapter but then I decided I should separate the two because they present two totally opposite moods.

Don't Forget to leave a review :D


	27. Chapter 26: The World is his Hostage

Chapter 26: The World is his Hostage

Shortly after they were all reunited, the two groups filled each other in on everything that had happened in the past week they had spent away from one another… both the good things and the bad. Keiichi told Mion and the others about old man Dorian, who had changed his name to Hiroaki, and he told them about the truth of the Hinamizawa syndrome and the true function of the village's cicadas. Mion and Rena told Keiichi everything that happened to them as well, from getting their flu-shots to Oryo's fatal battle with Jack the previous night. Even Eric had to divulge his true identity to the others before they left for the school.

After they finished catching up with one another, Mion found Eric's keys and soon they set off. Only this time they had to walk all the way there because Ryuu, Mion, and Rena insisted on coming with them and since Tony's car only seated five people they were forced to continue on foot.

Keiichi was walking with Mion sitting on his shoulders piggy-back style. She had insisted Keiichi carry her since he had lied to her about looking at colleges when he was really spending the week with some strange old man in the hills. At first, Keiichi thought he would have collapsed under her weight but he was surprised at how light she felt. It was then he began to appreciate how much stronger he was getting.

As they passed the watermill that usually marked the start and end of the club's day together, Mion sighed pensively. It was strange walking past something they saw every day in these dark days when the sun wouldn't shine and not a human soul was visible on the now barren streets of Hinamizawa. Usually the watermill made her feel strangely giddy because she knew she'd be seeing all her friends at school within a few moments. But today was different. Today they were going to school to gather information to help them carry out a revolution against Jack. Today the watermill marked the beginning of a darker task.

"Alright you two," grumbled Eric to Mion and Keiichi as they came upon the school grounds, "We're here."

With reluctance, Mion leaped down from Keiichi's surprisingly broad shoulders and accompanied him and the others inside.

"How are your injuries holding up, Ryuu?" asked Keiichi to his brother after they entered the unlit corridors of the usual cheery school.

"I'll be fine," he said with a reassuring smile, "I'm made of tougher stuff than you are, Keiichi."

The four teenagers lingered behind the adults to talk amongst themselves, still overjoyed to see each other again. "Hey, Keiichi," began Ryuu, "I'm sorry for lying to you all this time about where I came from… I guess it would have been better you heard it from me than from Akir—I mean, Eric-sensei."

"No, I probably would have freaked out either way," laughed Keiichi, "But you know we can't stay mad at you, Ryuu."

Ryuu's face lit up with a brilliant joyfulness welling up within him. Words could not describe how relieved he felt right now to _finally_ have assurance that he would be accepted from now to the end of time. He was forgiven at last… Redemption was his.

_Ring, ring, ring!_

Eric removed his rather bulky cell-phone from his pocket and flicked it open to silence the high pitched electronic ringing it emitted.

"Hello?"

"_Eric? It's me… John…"_

Eric's fist tightened with anger. "Oh… ready to apologize for making me have to walk all the way to my office to read Daichi's journal when you could have easily read it off to me?"

"_No… that's not why I'm calling. Although, I am surprised you actually still want to read that thing. I'm telling you man… let sleeping dogs lie."_

"Just tell me why you're calling," sighed Eric as he continued his trek to his office door at the end of the hallway.

"_Jack's called an emergency meeting. I'm supposed to be going to it in a few minutes. I got a bad feeling about this though, Eric. A real bad feeling. Jack's up to something…"_

"What else is new?" interrupted Eric as he fondled for his keys in his pockets as the office door drew nearer and nearer.

"_I think you should be able to listen on in this one, Eric. I'm gonna put you on speaker phone so you can hear everything. I don't want to have to tell you what happened after the meeting is over or anything like that. But I need you to be absolutely silent when I call you before the meeting starts! If they hear you…"_

"Yeah, yeah. I could see where that would cause problems," droned Eric as he stuck his keys into the lock and turned, "But thanks for the heads up, John. And… thanks for spending the past few months trying to get that password for me."

"_Don't mention it…" _snickered John.

Eric opened the door and stood aside to let the others into his office. "Hey," he said, drawing their conversation to a close, "Good luck over there…"

"_You just worry about yourself, I'll be fine."_

Eric managed to crack a small smile before hanging up the phone and pocketing it once more. He stepped through his office door into the newspaper coated room where Rena, Ryuu, and Mion- who had never seen his office before- stood looking at the room in awe.

"You sure have a lot of newspapers…" gawked Ryuu.

"They come in handy," responded Eric as he made his way to the computer desk to boot up his computer, "Just don't fiddle with any of them."

Eric double clicked on the internet icon on his desktop and then quickly proceeded to log into his E-mail account.

He had one new message from a Mr. John Withers.

"Are you sure we should open it?" asked Keiichi just as Eric was about to click on the e-mail, "John sounded seriously freaked-out on the phone."

"We have to know," said Eric, "Daichi died protecting this information from Jack. The night before he got himself killed… he gave me this file and told me not to open it until the time was right. If you ask me… _now_ is the right time."

"Is this about the Syndrome?" asked Ryuu as he and the others all packed themselves behind Eric's desk to get a better view of the monitor.

"Probably," said Keiichi.

Silence fell as the six of them waited with still breaths for Eric to open the e-mail document but Eric's finger didn't seem to want to move downward on the mouse-button. Finally, he summoned the courage to open the file and Daichi's journal opened up before them all. The file consisted mostly of lengthy data analyses that not even Eric understood but here and there he saw a few pictures… a few of which he found very interesting.

One particularly disturbing one illustrated Darwin's Theory of Evolution, the illustrated diagram that showed the progression of humans from apes to homo-sapiens. But this one had been altered in a most disconcerting way. Before the ape came something else. A horrifying looking creature that walked on two thin, spider-like legs that reached up to its skinny waist. It had a very profound rib cage however that was probably twice the size of its scrawny little stomach. And two, bony, wiry arms extended from either side of the creatures rib cage and each arm ended with five jagged and abnormally long fingers. But most alarming was its head. It had such gaunt, and skeletal features that Keiichi could have sworn he could have counted its teeth from behind its taut, leathery skin. And worst of all were the two, curved horns that jetted from the beasts forehead, finalizing its appearance as a demon. It looked almost identical to the ones in Jack's sketchbook.

"What is this supposed to mean?" inquired Mion with an open mouth.

Eric answered her by reading from the caption beneath the illustration. _" _'I, Daichi Oishi, have just discovered the most terrible secret. I was previously led to believe that the Hinamizawans were the sole descendants of a demonic race of creatures called _Homine Optimes_. These creatures were in fact, not demons, but humans. They were humans at one point but somewhere along the line… that all changed. My research shows that they are an evolved species of humankind whose physiology was dramatically altered by cases of severe paranoia and stress. This fear constant fear allowed these creatures to adapt and to change—to evolve and to resemble these demon-like beings. All humans, without exception, evolved from these creatures. However, the chain of evolution was broken somewhere along the line by the cicadas. The cry of the cicadas releases a hormone in the human body that calms and relaxes the mind and the muscles. This caused the _Homine Optimes_ the devolve into a more simple minded race… A.K.A monkeys. Since the mind of an ape is not as complex as a human's, the ape could not succumb to the severe paranoia caused by the Syndrome.' "

" 'I believe that the Syndrome _is_ actually a parasite—a weakened form of the _Homie Optimes_ that is constantly trying to twist the human mind until they succumb to so much fear that the evolution process if forced to begin again. And the parasite would be successful if it weren't for the cicada's constant cry countering the Syndrome's source of nourishment: a sound wave called _Echo._' "

Tony suddenly cut Eric off. "Echo… isn't that the weapon you said Jack was promising the Americans?"

"Shh!" snapped Rena.

" 'Recently," continued Eric, too mesmerized by Daichi's written words to care about anything else, " 'I spent the evening studying the skeletal remains of the _Homine Optimes, _which are buried deep beneath the old _Ancient Burial Grounds_ in the village, and I discovered a very peculiar little mineral preserved in the creature's bone that actually emits Echo's sound wave. Then it all made sense to me. The only reason Hinamizawa is _The Cursed Village_—the only reason why Hinamizawans seem to be the only ones to ever succumb to the Syndrome's affects are because the only remains left of the_ Homine Optimes_ are buried here in Hinamizawa! That's why the cicadas concentrate their cries here because Hinamizawa is the only place where the Syndrome gets nourishment from Echo's sound waves! If I could convince Jack to destroy the skeletons of the _Homine Optimes_… I could break my village's 'curse'! We could be free from our insanity once and for all…'…. I-it just ends there…"

Nobody moved a muscle.

"I don't believe it…" said Akasaka in amazement, "W-we evolved from these… these demon things?"

"That's what he wrote…" answered Eric dismally, "I just don't want to believe it."

"But it makes perfect sense…" argued Ryuu hopelessly, "Think about it. It matches up perfectly with everything. You said Jack was going to play _Echo'_s sound through those speakers a hundred times louder. If Echo is what makes us turn into those things… what would it do to us if it were played that loud?"

"We would transform almost instantly…" answered Eric, "That's Jack's plan. That's why he bought all that bug spray and those boilers. He's gonna kill all the cicadas in Hinamizawa and then they'll be nothing to stop him from turning on _Echo_."

"That's insanity! He'll transform too! Doesn't that defeat the purpose of his plans?"

"Not if he has what's left of the cicadas with him when Echo goes off," pointed out Ryuu.

"But if these things are as dangerous as Jack said," continued Tony, desperately hoping he could find a flaw in Jack's plan, "Once he transforms us wouldn't we be able to kill him in a heartbeat? I know Jack Lanyon and the one price he isn't willing to pay is death."

"He could easily pack sleeping gas into the boilers along with the bug spray," said Keiichi, "He could knock us out cold, pick us up, and sell us to some country as weapons."

Mion was just about to open her mouth to say something when Eric's cell phone went off again. "Everyone be quiet!" he snapped, "When I answer this phone… If any of you so much as breathes loudly I will make you scream bloody murder, do you understand?"

Everyone nodded quickly as Eric took the phone from his pocket. He opened it half way before glancing back at his companions and whispering, "Not a word," in a dangerously low voice.

They nodded again as Eric finally opened his phone and immediately they heard everything going on on John's end of the line.

_____________________________________________________________________________

**London, England; 11:58 am; United Nations Conference Room**

John quickly hid his cell phone behind his coffee mug and double checked to make sure it was on speaker-phone so Eric could hear everything properly.

"What are you doing, John?" asked Greg suddenly when he saw John's cell phone.

"I'm gonna make sure Eric can hear everything that happens here today. You said it yourself, Jack's up to no good this time and I think it's a good idea Eric knows about it too."

Greg looked at John, completely flabbergasted. "Are you insane?" he whispered, "Do you have any idea what would happen if they caught you with that? These meetings are strictly a need-to-know basis!"

"Exactly," agreed John, "and Eric needs to know."

"Is he on the phone right now?"

"Yes."

Greg snatched up John's cell phone and held his mouth over the receiver. "Eric Theodore Stride, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" he hissed.

"_This is important," _whispered Eric over the phone, _"Now put me down before anyone sees."_

Greg opened his mouth to object but he was cut off by the Prime-Minister of England, Margaret Thatcher. Quickly, Greg returned the phone to its original hiding place, shooting John cold glares as the meeting was called to order.

"This United Nations emergency conference meeting has begun," announced the minister in a brisk voice, "Today, we will begin negotiations with the Japanese government over their recent nuclear weapons activity. Mr. James Wesker was kind enough to establish a video link with the Japanese government so we can resolve this issue as soon as possible. Mr. Wesker, you have the floor."

James Wesker stood up from his chair, separating himself from his fellow goons and marching proudly to the center of the room where there were several cameras for the video-conference. James turned on a large projector which displayed a blank screen against the wall as they patiently waited for the Japanese government to join the conference.

"_What's happening?" _whispered Eric, taking advantage of the light chatter buzzing about the room to mask his voice.

"Wesker just turned on the projector," informed John with his head turned towards Greg so no one would get suspicious, "We're waiting for—"

"Withers, who are you talking to?" came the voice of president Reagan who was seated to John's left.

"Just myself, sir," said John quickly while discreetly brushing the cell phone clear out of his view, "I must be eh… working too hard."

Reagan gave him a quizzical stare. "Well… you should get some rest tonight then…"

"Will do, sir."

Suddenly, the room was filled, once again, with the voice of the Prime-Minister speaking into her microphone. "Now, if you will all turn your attention to the image projected on the wall, we can begin… shortly…" the minister paused as she got a good look at the image displayed on the screen, "Good Lord…"

On the screen were two men, both bound tightly to a pair of metal chairs with a thick nylon cord.

"W-what is the meaning of this!?" cried the minister in outrage, "Wesker, you better be prepared to explain yourself!"

"Hey! Hey wait a minute!" cried president Reagan, "T-that's General Blaze! My General who went missing a week ago!"

Chairman Andropov was the next to make his voice heard. "And that is Dyakov!" he cried in a thick Russian accent, "The other one to his left! He went missing last week as well!"

The room was now buzzing with astonished remarks from the politicians. "What is the meaning of this Wesker?!" bellowed Andropov and Reagan simultaneously.

"I believe I can answer that," answered a cool, brisk, and horribly arrogant voice coming from the video-feed. Immediately, the crowd quieted down until the only sound they heard was the low humming of the projectors motor.

"Who said that?!" demanded Reagan, rising from his seat, "Show yourself!"

They heard the sound of footsteps coming from the video-feed, gradually becoming louder as the generals' captor approached. From the corner of the video-screen emerged a one-armed man who was also sporting a jet black eye patch over his eye.

"It's Lanyon…" whispered John, more to himself than to the bulky cell phone hidden behind his coffee mug.

"Thank you for arranging this meeting for me, Mr. Wesker," said Lanyon from over the video-feed with a broad smile, "Now we can begin our negotiations."

"Is that what this all about?!" blurted Andropov in fury, "Hostages?!"

Jack's face suddenly became befuddled, as if he had no clue as to what Andropov what talking about. "Oh!" he exclaimed in enlightenment, "You mean these two gentlemen!" Jack stepped behind both of the bound generals so that everyone could see them better.

"No, no, no, no… they are here only as… props," informed Jack with a sinister grin, "They will help _illustrate_ my proposition."

"What proposition? What do you want, Lanyon?"

"What do I want? Well, I thought that would have been very clear by now Mr. Reagan. I want _the world_ or at least… all of the world's leading nations. Which so happen to be gathered in one place on this very day. You see… once I have control of all the nations in the U.N and of course… America… I will have all the military power I need to take all the world's other nations by force!"

"And how exactly do you intend on getting control of our proud nation?" queried Greg with a hostile look, "I'd die before I'd forfeit my country to you."

"Well, while that is an option, it is one I hope you will not choose to take. Here, allow me to show you." Jack stepped around his two captives, who were currently looking into the camera with terror in their eyes, and he held up a small glass jar full of air holes. Inside the jar was a buzzing mass of what looked like cicadas.

"Bugs?" chortled Greg, "That's your big plan?"

"Patience, General, patience. All will be illuminated in time." Jack looked off screen. "Raymond! Now!"

There was a small clicking noise followed immediately by a swarm of green gas that gushed out of the walls, enveloping Jack and his captives.

"You see, my friends, the gas you are seeing now is bug spray," informed Jack, "which I was only able to acquire through the gracious donation of the American Military."

Greg's face reddened with fury when he heard his beloved nation being associated with this man's mad schemes.

"And luckily," continued Jack, holding up the glass jar to the camera as the cicadas held within it slowly began suffocating from the bug spray's fumes, "This particular brand of bug spray is non-lethal to humans so you won't have to worry about me. And just look at how quickly it killed those bugs!" He dropped the jar, letting it collide with the ground with a loud shatter, "Nasty little things aren't they? And now, watch what happens to your beloved generals."

Jack quickly ran off screen, and judging by the rusty creek they heard he had also dashed out of whatever room they were holding the generals in.

"Now I'm going to play a special little audio file I call _Echo_," said Jack, as if he were talking to a 4-year-old, "watch what happens."

_Click_

Echo started playing loud and as shrill as can be. No sound in the world could have compared to the piercing reverberation that was flooding the room at a rapid rate. It filled John's head and suddenly he felt cold… very cold. Something was stirring inside him. It hurt so bad but… he felt himself growing stronger. A misplaced sense of confidence filled him as Echo played louder and louder and he didn't want it to stop. He wasn't even paying attention to the projector's image anymore. But Greg was…

General Blaze and General Dyakov both began changing before his very eyes. He could see their waists shrink down to half the size as their rib cage at an alarming speed while the hue of their skin gradually became paler and paler. Their hair began to tumble from their heads until they were entirely bald. And their eyes… their eyes looked horribly dry, like freshly shed snake skin. The two men… or whatever they were now… began rattling violently in their chairs until the nylon cords retraining them snapped and they broke free.

They were no longer distinguishable from one another. They looked like clones of the same demonic creature. The only distinction was in the pair of horns that slowly began to rise from their skulls.

Finally, the high pitched noised called _"Echo"_ ceased abruptly and John became aware of the two beasts on display over the projector. He may not have been in a right state of mind when they transformed but he could piece together the pieced easily.

The room went silent with horrified astonishment and disgust at the grotesque beasts that were once the proud generals of the world's two most powerful nations. Now that the strange euphoria caused by Echo had left his body, John was starting to feel a little queasy. He couldn't believe that had just happened!

The two creatures crouched down on their spider like legs, their leathery heads cocking from side to side like a crow trying to decide at what angle he should peck at the ground for his breakfast. Their necks twisted around so that their heads were upside down as they continued to examine the camera lens. And suddenly, and without warning, both creatures charged at the camera, flailing their long, jagged fingers ravenously until they collided head-first with what seemed to be a sheet of incredibly sturdy glass separating the creatures from the camera.

Minister Thatcher's widened in alarm as she struggled to summon a response. "W-what did you do to them?"

Jack seized the camera in his one hand and turned it so it was facing him. "I evolved them…" snickered Jack.

No one understood what he meant by that except for Eric and his companions.

"Evolved?" barked the German Ambassador with outrage, "You mutilated them!"

"And so now you see my point. As you know, ambassadors, I am currently residing in a small Japanese village called Hinamizawa. Around the village I have siren-towers and boilers that I can use to transform all the villagers around into these delightful little creatures."

"You wouldn't!"

"Oh but I'm going to," said Jack with an arrogant smile, "In about thirty-five hours from now the entire village of Hinamizawa will be morphed into a miserable little hell-hole teeming with rabid beasts like the ones behind that sheet of glass over there. I have already made arrangements to apprehend the villagers once they have transformed now what I do with them afterwards is entirely up to you."

"Meaning…?"

"Meaning that either you comply with my demands or I'll set these creatures lose on your cities to burn your churches and slaughter your children in their sleep."

"Ridiculous," scoffed Greg, "How could just one village of these things destroy _all_ of our nations? You do realize we _have_ big, big militaries with big ol' guns and such?"

"Oh thank you for reminding me about that, my good man. I'm sure you all recall that little audio clip I played for you all earlier."

Reagan spoke with disgust in his voice. "If you mean the audio clip that transformed my friend there into one of your little pets then, sure… we remember it," he said with a sneer.

"Good to hear, Mr. President. In case you were wondering that sound emanates from tiny itty bitty minerals in these creatures' bones. That sound wave is what caused your friends to change so dramatically. So unless you have _proper protection_… you would be powerless to stop your people from transforming."

There was suddenly a very loud, very gravelly noise that was heard throughout all the room coming from behind John's coffee mug. It sounded a lot like the hollow thud of a body dropping to the floor, probably from the shock of Jack's threat. John's eyes widened with fear when all eyes on the room turned on him. Greg looked at him with an equally fearful expression when he saw James slowly stride over to their desk with a very, very happy smile on his face.

John tried to hide the cell phone before James got close enough to see it but just as he was about to pocket it, John felt a very firm hand close on his wrist and wrench the phone from his hand.

Even Jack went quiet when he saw what James held in his hand.

"A cell phone…" observed James with a baleful grin, "Oh dear, you are in trouble."

"I-I-I was jus-just…" John made an involuntary twitch as he tried to overcome his stutter.

"Y-you w-were just _what_, Wither-Tongue?" asked James, once again doing a very demeaning imitation of John's stutter. James held the phone to his mouth, calling, "Hello! Hello, in there!" John was happy to see Eric was smart enough not to reply but that wasn't enough to calm Wesker's nerves. There was the sudden cocking of a gun and before John knew it he was staring down the barrel of a 9 mm pistol held right in between his eyes.

"Who were you talking to?" he demanded.

The prime-minister stood up from her seat. "Mr. Wesker, please—"

"Oh, shut up you rotten bitch!" he spat vehemently, "I'm not talking to you! Tell me who was on the phone, Withers!"

Even if John wanted to tell him he couldn't. His tongue felt like a stiff wooden board in his mouth, rendering him speechless. "I-it… I… I."

James put his finger on the trigger. "I'll give you to the count of five."

"B-but I—"

"1…"

"P-please just wait!"

"…2…"

"I-I-I…"

"…3…"

"John, it's alright," said Greg suddenly, "You can stop covering for me."

Both John and James shot the aged and battle-worn general quizzical looks. "What?" James said with a flickering smile, looking more delighted than ever.

"That's my phone, Wesker," lied Greg, keeping his eyes glued intently on his polished shoes, "Leave the boy out of this."

John felt the chilling barrel of the gun slowly leave his forehead as James stood motionless, examining Greg with his eyes.

"_What was he doing?"_ thought John in a state of shock, _"I-I can't let him take the fall for me!" _"Greg, wait…"

Greg shot him a silencing look.

"Well, well, well," echoed James happily, aiming the gun at Greg now, "I told you that that big mouth of yours was gonna get you in a lot of trouble some day."

Greg smiled, not even the smallest hint of fear detectable in his battle-worn eyes. He glanced at John and gave him a quick wink. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

John's mind was telling him to move- to save his friend… but his body was as stiff as his tongue. All he could do was sit there, paralyzed by fear for his companion… a fear that only deepened when he finally heard the powerful gunshot released by James's pistol that rung throughout the entire conference room.

John's eyes widened when he saw Greg's head slowly lull over on its side as his wrinkled old smile slowly faded and the life began to drain from his eyes.

James returned to his original place at the center of the room, quickly glancing back at John with a taunting smile.

"Bastard!" cried Reagan in fury, rising from his seat and pounding both fists down on the table, "If anything, he deserved a fair trial for illegally leaking information of this meeting to an unknown source… But killing him!? What gives you the right?"

"I do," answered Jack, "My world, my rules."

"It's not your world yet, Lanyon!" cried Thatcher in defiance.

"Yes but it's as good as. I mean, you have to realize that I've won this negotiation. There's nothing you can do."

"Like hell there isn't!" cried Andropov, "We can call the Japanese government and inform them of your plan. They'll come storming in on you once we trace the location of your hideout and then you'll be the one with nowhere to run!"

"You can't call the Japanese government," snickered Jack, "You closed all communications with them because _you_ suspected them of the construction of nuclear weapons. Isn't that right?"

John's fists tightened in frustration of being defeated. He was right… the U.N terminated all communications with the Japanese after they were "almost positive" they were constructing nukes on one of their islands.

"Damnit, Lanyon!" cursed the minister, rising from her seat with a reddening face, "You can't do this!!"

"Don't worry, my friends. All you have to do is resign all your power to me. Once I have all your signatures agreeing to this I will simply keep the transformed villagers as my pets to use when you all need further 'convincing'. And since I know this is a big decision to make, I have given you ample time to comply. You have thirty-six hours starting… now. When you have all decided, please inform my right-hand man, Mr. Wesker, as quickly as possible and we can resolve this matter peacefully. Please make the smart decision, gentlemen. That is all."

And with that snide remark, Jack cut his feed, causing the image being projected onto the wall to go blank instantly.

It only took about three seconds for every man and every woman in the room to rise up from their seats in an uproar of terrified questions and remarks.

"This can't be happening!"

"What are we going to do!?"

"We have no choice! We must accept his terms before he loses patience with us!"

"What!? Are you mad?! We can't possibly—"

"You saw what he did to those two men! I couldn't even recognize them! And if what he says is true about their bones emanating that sound wave it would only take a few months for the whole world to end up like that!"

"But what if it isn't true?"

"We can't risk it! We _have to_ listen to him!"

The only two people who remained seated were poor John Withers, staring hopelessly at Greg Fears with tears in his eyes.

"_What do I do now?"_

This was the same question running through everyone's minds, even thousands of miles away in a lonely village located in Japan, where four teenagers and three adults, who had just been listening in to the entire conference through John's cell phone, stood with the same doomed and hopeless thought echoing in the back of their heads.

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Cripes. A lot happened in this chapter. Maybe… a little too much? It just seems like I just chucked a hell of a lot of major plot twists and story elements at you. I hope you guys liked it though. I thought it was pretty chill.

Also, in case you were wondering, that thud that came from John's cell phone so inconveniently in the middle of the conference was supposed to be Tony passing out from shock of Jack's news. I tried really hard to put that into the chapter but I when I read over it again it sounded too choppy and forced so I just called it a "hollow thud".

Well, I hope you all enjoyed my dual upload. It will probably be my last dual upload though so don't get your hopes up.

Don't forget to leave a comment :D


	28. Chapter 27: Into the Belly of the Beast

Chapter 27: Into the Belly of the Beast

The group was still standing idle in Eric's office, each one of them racking their brains in search of any kind of loophole or exploit in Jack's plan.

"Wait!" chimed Akasaka suddenly, "What about the vaccine? As long as we've been vaccinated, the syndrome shouldn't be able to grow."

"That's right!" concurred Tony happily, "Maybe Jack didn't count on the vaccine."

"Yeah? And maybe Kozumi-kun will graduate from my class," scoffed Eric sarcastically, referring once again to his "_favorite"_ student- the same one who Ryuu had accused of drug abuse, "Jack doesn't just miss stuff like that… Mion! You said that Jack was giving out flu shots outside the clinic not too long ago, right?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah."

"Did you ever get yours?"

She nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, but what's that have to do with—"

"Give me your finger," said Eric as he cleared his desk of loose papers and other junk.

"Uhh…" she started feeling nervous when she saw Eric swipe a small sewing needle from his desk drawer, "Why?"

"I need a blood sample. C'mon, quickly now!" he snapped impatiently as he adjusted the lens of his microscope that was sitting to the left of his computer, "I haven't got all day."

Reluctantly, she held out her finger and braced herself as Eric pricked the center of her index finger, drawing blood instantly. He quickly held the bloodied needle underneath the microscope's lens and pressed one eye onto the looking glass.

"I knew it!" he declared in a troubled voice, "He didn't give you a flu shot at all! He gave you an antidote to the vaccine!"

"That's why he wanted everyone to be there!" exclaimed Ryuu in realization, "Remember that old couple he kicked out because they didn't have their kids with them? He tried to pressure all those people to make sure their entire family got 'vaccinated' so no one could be immune to the syndrome when he turned on Echo!"

Mion suddenly felt a sharp pang of fear in her chest. She was vulnerable now… and so was everyone else who got vaccinated. "We have to warn them!" she cried urgently, "We have to get back to the cave and warn everybody! We need to work out a strategy and we need them to get weapons! We'll need guns, swords, hammers, pitch-forks, knives… spoons! Anything!"

"Spoons?" chortled Tony in disbelief.

"Hey!" snapped Akasaka, rearing on Tony with an intense look in his eyes. "I killed a man with a spoon before!" he said through clenched teeth, "And it was a _wooden_ spoon."

"But even after we have weapons, how are we going to stop Echo from playing?" pondered Keiichi desperately, "I mean, those siren-towers are at least sixteen feet underground. We can't just rip them out."

"Jack has to be getting Echo from somewhere," pointed out Ryuu, "He's probably just amplifying the sound coming from the skeletons of those _Homine Optimes_ thingies. If we get rid of the skeletons like Daichi originally intended—"

"—Then there'd be no sound for him to use…" concluded Eric, "And even if he did wipe out the cicadas, the syndrome would have already died out within all of our bodies without _Echo_ to use as its life-source. But where is he keeping them?"

"Maybe he never moved them," proposed Rena, "Jack might be keeping the skeletons under Rena's treasure trove!"

"Treasure trove?"

"Of course!" replied Ryuu to Rena, "The junkyard is the old dam construction site. He built the dam over the ancient burial grounds! The skeletons must still be under there!"

"Then we have a plan," announced Keiichi happily, "We just need to find some way to destroy those skeleton things till' there's nothing left of em'."

"It's not gonna be that easy," grumbled Tony, "We're going to need a hell of a lot of people backing us up or we'll get massacred."

"Yeah, that's why we're going back to the cave to rally up the villagers," said Mion, "We'll get ready tonight and storm the place tomorrow."

______________________________________________________________________________

"Hmmmm…" said Jack thoughtfully, "This is most troubling…"

He was pacing around in his base's main lab which looked identical to one of his many, many holding cells just five times as large. The entire room was abuzz with the light hums of the cicadas fluttering over head. In front of him stood one of his hired soldiers, standing with his back erect and his hands stiff at his sides as he awaited his orders.

"Ryuu is alive, that much is certain…" Jack said to himself, "That little brat just won't stay dead!" He kicked at a large cardboard box in his aggravation, sending its contents spilling across the floor. "Somebody pick that up!" he ordered as he continued his frantic pacing. "If Ryuu manages to find us, it could mean trouble… Are you sure you saw him?"

"Yes," reported the soldier in a stiff Russian accent, "He and a few others walked to the local school grounds this evening."

"How interesting…" snickered Jack, "So you knew where he was and you didn't kill him?"

"Uhh… no, sir."

"Why?" asked Jack with a skeptical glare.

"Well… he's just one boy sir. I mean… what can he do?"

"What can he do?" laughed Jack, "Well for starters…" Jack whipped out his pistol and aimed it at the soldier's head, quickly maneuvering his gun to the right before he pulled the trigger so that the bullet only barely missed the man's pale head. "For starters, he could do that _only_ he wouldn't miss on purpose!" growled Jack menacingly, "Take your men and intercept the lot of them before they reach Sonozaki manor. No prisoners."

"Yes, sir," replied the soldier in acceptance, his eyes still wide with fear from the bullet that nearly blew off his head.

"Good. Now if someone would just SHUT UP THE DAMN SONOZAKI GIRL I WOULD BE HAVING THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!" cried Jack, loud enough so that the girl making the horrid howling sounds from down the corridor could hear him.

"We could turn off Echo for a bit, sir," suggested one of the many construction workers bustling about behind him, "I think that's what's making her yell all the damn time."

"No, I told you why we can't do that!" rebuked Jack angrily, "She is in a very delicate stage of her transformation right now! If she is away from Echo's sound-wave for even a minute the evolution process will revert and she'll return to normal again."

The construction worker grimaced when Shion Sonozaki made another ear piercing cry from within her cell. "Be careful with that welding torch!" cried Jack to a worker who was currently trying to weld together several sheets of steel to reinforce a large container, "That container is full of bug spray! Really, really flammable bug spray! If so much as a stray spark grazes that stuff we'll all be incinerated in a matter of seconds!" Jack groaned dismally. "I'm working with morons!" he yelled. He glanced upward at the electric clock attached to the west-wall that was counting down how much time left the U.N ambassadors and politicians had to make their decision. Directly under the clock was a large glass cylinder that contained a very interesting looking skeleton erected in its center. "Did you test those things?" implored Jack to the head worker impatiently, "Are all the cylinders hooked up the siren-towers?"

"Yes," grumbled the worker as he rolled his eyes. "I checked it. Echo will play when that timer reaches zero," he said, indicating to the clock bolted above one of the cylinders containing the skeletal remains of the _Homine Optimes_.

"It better," he growled threateningly, "or it'll be on your head."

______________________________________________________________________________

Keiichi and the others were walking from the school back to Sonozaki manor fashioned in a line with Eric in the lead, followed by Akasaka, and then Tony all up in front. Behind him trailed Keiichi and Mion, walking side by side with Ryuu and then Rena taking up the rear. The sun was beginning to set on the seven of them, casting a golden glow on each individual blade of grass that decorated both sides of the dirt path they were traveling. Ryuu glanced back at Rena every now and again, the shimmering glint in her red hair continuously catching his eye.

"Ru-kun," said Rena in a soft voice.

Ryuu blinked, waking from his trace like state. "Yes?" he said with a hint of hopefulness in his voice

"Could you please um… walk a little faster…"

"Huh?"

Ryuu looked ahead and noticed that he had fallen behind from the group when he was distracted. They were a pretty good distance ahead of them now.

"Oh, sorry," he said, sounding a little crestfallen.

"It's okay," she assured with a tiny laugh as she quickened her pace so she was walking at Ryuu's side, "Rena will forgive Ru-kun."

"I'm relieved," smiled Ryuu as he glanced at the golden sun that had sunken halfway down the horizon, "…nice sunset…"

"You say that a lot, Ru-kun," teased Rena sweetly, "You must really like sunsets."

"I like what they remind me of," replied Ryuu with a blush, trying to avoid Rena's now puzzled gaze. "They kind of remind me of you, Rena-chan."

Rena's curious smile faltered when she felt her face suddenly boil with a heated blush that started at her cheeks and slowly spider-webbed its way down to the tips of her toes, engulfing her in an uncomfortable yet somehow exciting warmth that made her heart quicken its pace.

"You're teasing me," she accused in a sheepish tone.

"No, I'm being serious," said Ryuu honestly as he adjusted the bandages fastened around his waist, "I know it sounds really cheesy but I can't help but think about you whenever the sun goes down. The sun is orange when it sets, just like your hair. The sun is bright, which always reminds me of your upbeat attitude. And… the sun is a very beautiful thing… just like you." He almost wanted to drown himself for saying something so powerfully corny. But Rena didn't seem to mind, in fact, she seemed rather flattered by his comments. She was actually looking at him expectantly as if she actually wanted him to continue. "And…" he dared himself to carry on, "the sun is warm and comforting… like you." Ryuu moved a trembling hand to the back of her neck, delicately brushing the tips of his fingers on her silky skin as if he were painting a picture. Rena felt an excited tremor go down her spine that triggered every nerve in her body to tingle with anticipation.

Ryuu removed his fingers away with reluctance, his fingers twitching in protest as they yearned for the warm touch of her skin. "I think the only difference between you and the sun is…" He paused. In the back of his mind a red flag went up that told him to quit while he was ahead. He wanted to say it but it seemed as though his tongue had fled from his mouth in fear of the words Ryuu had primed it to say. Finally however, he worked up the courage. "The only difference between you and the sun is that… I'm not in love with the sun."

Again, the powerful urge to physically punish himself for what he just said threatened to overcome him.

"I just thought since tomorrow… since tomorrow we're going to be in the line of fire I thought I should tell you now. Sorry…" He hung his head in shame, now just wanting to return to the manor so he could flee from this awkward situation.

But Rena surprised him. She stopped the two of them in their tracks by locking him in a tight embrace, grabbing the back of his head and pulling him towards her lips for a passionate kiss. In that one kiss the two of them released all of the fear that had been welling up inside them in the past few hours. Ryuu was quick to react, swiftly constricting his arms around her thin wait so he could lift her a few inches from the ground so they were at eye-level with one another. Finally, Rena broke off the kiss to catch her breath.

"You're not just teasing me, are you Ru-kun?" she pried, completely out of breath, "Do you really feel that way about Rena? Do you?"

Ryuu nodded and leaned his head forward so that their noses were touching. "Would I lie to you?"

Suddenly, Ryuu heard a small sniffle coming from Rena's nose. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great!" she chirped, wiping a few of the tears from her eyes after Ryuu had set her down, "Rena is just happy. Happy because she feels the same way about Ru-kun!"

Ryuu smiled at her affectionately. "You know, Rena, tomorrow… if we get separated or something like that… we should meet somewhere."

"How about Rena's treasure trove?" she proposed eagerly, "At sunset tomorrow, we'll meet so we can get Kento-kun out from under the garbage!"

"It's a deal," he promised.

Rena smiled up at him and gave him another hug before they decided to catch up with the group who, luckily, had not been in earshot for Ryuu's embarrassing dialogue. Just as Rena and Ryuu got back in the line with their companions, the sun completely vanished, casting the dark shadow of night over Hinamizawa. They continued down the dirt road with caution until they finally passed by the old watermill.

"I've got a bad feeling…" warned Tony as soon as the watermill came into view, "Like we're being watched."

"It's just the night getting to you," soothed Akasaka, "It always makes people a little paranoid when they can't see everything as clearly as they would during the day."

"I'm not getting paranoid!" he snapped, "I'm just being cautious!"

"Would you be quiet," snapped Eric in a whisper, "If you really do believe we are being watched then do you think it's a good idea to be yelling?"

Tony glared at the back of Eric's head angrily, envisioning it exploding into a million pieces over and over again in his aggravation. Eric led them all onto the small stone bridge to aid them in crossing the small stream beneath their feet. Tony's paranoia slowly began rubbing off on Keiichi as they began crossing the bridge. He too felt like he was being kept pinned under someone's gaze… or under someone's crosshair. There was a tiny splash to their left coming from the watermill that Keiichi would have never heard if he hadn't been listening so intently to his surroundings. He glanced up at the watermill just in time to see a man in black clothes crouched down on the roof of the old watermill, holding a large sniper-rifle with two hands. "Look out!" alerted Keiichi, "Sniper on the roof!"

That was the sniper's cue to open fire. Keiichi heard the tiny _zip_ of the man's silenced weapon, followed by a loud scream from Tony as he collapsed forward onto the bridge. Keiichi could see a dark liquid weeping from Tony's stomach. "Tony!" cried Eric.

"He's reloading!" cautioned Mion, "Get down!"

However, Keiichi wasn't about to back down. He quickly drew his pistol, pulled back the hairpin just like Eric had shown him, aimed, and fired. He knew as soon as the sniper toppled over on his side that he was successful. "Tony! Tony!" screamed Eric, as if he were trying to call out to him from across a gaping chasm. Eric turned him over so his stomach was no longer pressed against the bridge. Tony's face was drenched with sweat as he struggled to maintain consciousness.

Eric ripped open Tony's button up shirt to get a better look at his bullet wound. "That's not good," he said, "Oh god… that's not good at all."

It seemed like Tony was trying to speak but the only sound he could make was a strange sputtering noise as blood began to trickle from the corners of his open mouth.

Everyone crouched down low around Tony, shooting him assuring smiles whenever he made eye contact with one of them but they would suddenly become grim faced again whenever he'd look away. "Don't touch it!" gasped Tony in pain when Eric began gently probing his wound.

"I need something to stop the bleeding!" cried Eric, his usual detached and brisk demeanor forgotten at the sight of his wounded friend, "Something—anything!"

Ryuu promptly unwrapped the bandages around his head and tossed them to Eric, revealing the large cut that ran diagonally across his forehead. Eric took the bandage and hastily wrapped them around Tony's stomach, slowing the bleeding enough to give him a few more minutes of life.

"We need to get him to the cave," said Eric urgently, scooping Tony up in his arms as he stood up, "That Irie kid can take a look at him once we…" Eric's voice trailed off when he noticed his surroundings had changed significantly, now consisting of about ten or fifteen soldiers all pointing their rifles in their direction. "…oh shit."

"Remember, men," cried one of the soldiers, "We have strict orders! No prisoners!"

The men all chortled in delight as they brought their scopes to their eyes, picking one of the seven heads to put under their crosshairs. Keiichi turned his head in a full circle, scanning for any possible escape but he found none, any movement at all would quickly trigger the men's weapons.

Keiichi saw the men turn off the safety on their enormous guns. Each little _flick_ sent a violent shiver of fear rippling through Keiichi's body.

"Take down that one first," instructed one of the soldiers pointing at Ryuu with the barrel of his gun, "We'll worry about the rest later."

Every last one of them immediately circled around Ryuu upon hearing that man's order, forming a protective human shield all the way around him.

"What are you guys doing?" he hissed, "Move! You can run after they get me!" However, Ryuu's cry fell on deaf ears.

"Fine!" spat the soldier. "I'll just pick you all off one-by-one. Starting with you, lettuce-head," he said, indicating to Mion's green hair. Keiichi quickly made a move to get in front of Mion but she kept him held firmly in place with her arm.

"Mion, no!" he screamed, "Don't be an idiot!"

She only smiled and shook her head at him in response.

The soldier began counting down. "3…"

"Mion!"

"…2…"

"Mion! Don't you dare shoot! Don't you dare fucking shoot her!"

"…1!"

_Bang!_

Mion collapsed to the floor instantly with a small whimper, falling face down onto the bridge with a small amount of blood weeping from her skull. Keiichi couldn't believe it. She was dead! They killed her in cold-blood!

"You're next, kid," said the soldier with a small chuckle, "I'm sure you and your dead girlfriend over there will be able to spend plenty of time with each other… in hell!"

Tears fell from his eyes and onto Mion's dreadfully still back. Just the sight of her motionless body was enough to drive Keiichi mad. He quickly snapped his head up so he was facing Mion's murderer and whipped out his pistol, aiming right for his head.

Keiichi let out a ferocious roar as he unleashed hell on the soldier, firing bullet after bullet until, at last, his clip had run dry. The soldier was nearly unrecognizable now nearly half his face had been blown off in Keiichi's fury. The soldier collapsed instantly onto the floor.

The other soldiers were now shouting frantically at one another in Russian as they brought their scopes back up to their eyes and prepared to fire. Eric and Akasaka followed Keiichi's example and began unloading their bullets as fast as they could before they too were killed. They had just taken down two more men when something zipped right past Keiichi's ear and ran straight through one of the soldiers that had Keiichi in his scopes. Keiichi squinted his eyes to get a better look at the mysterious object. It was a wooden arrow…

Keiichi heard the wonderfully familiar battle cry of old man Hiroaki echo all around him from the cover of the darkness. They all heard the responding battle cry of at least a hundred men and women and they saw countless silver blades appear from out of the shadows as Hiroaki and his men emerged, geared in heavy leather armor and shiny steel helmets that reflected the moon's luminous rays.

Hiroaki was the first to take down a man, lopping off his head before he could even raise his gun. Hiroaki then quickly directed the stream of blood spewing from his kill's open neck towards another soldier, blinding him so that another one of his followers, a young man who couldn't have been much older than Keiichi, could take him down with a swift movement of his sword. From all around them, these vengeful blade-wielding warriors arose soundlessly, charging each soldier without a single casualty.

It didn't take long for Hiroaki and his followers to sheath their blades, signifying the end of their battle.

Hiroaki broke off from his group, waving happily at Keiichi and the others. "Happy to see me?" he laughed in a tone that would suggest he _hadn't_ just killed fifteen people with katanas and that Mion- his granddaughter- was not laying dead on the floor.

"You should've gotten here sooner!" bellowed Keiichi as he crouched down by Mion's body, "Look at what happened!"

"I know. Lucky, isn't it?"

"Lucky!?" shrieked Keiichi in outrage, "She's dead and you call that lucky!?"

"She isn't dead. What, do you think I'd really let my own granddaughter die?" he assured incredulously, "She's just stunned."

Keiichi would've punched him in the face if he hadn't just saved their lives.

"I saw her die…"

"Nope, just stunned," he promised, "Here, I'll show you." He bent down and turned over Mion's body. Keiichi was astonished and relieved to see that there was no hole in her head, just a tiny little scratch that was slowly leaking blood.

"But… how is that possible?" pried Ryuu curiously, "We saw the bullet…"

"A bullet that I intercepted with an arrow," smiled the old man proudly, "That scratch on her head must be from… this." He bent down again and held up the feathered half of what appeared to be a shattered arrow. "When it hit the bullet it must have split in two and then this end probably hit her in the head. See, you can see her breathing."

He was right, of course. Keiichi could see Mion's chest slowly rising and falling in even breaths. "Oh thank God," he gasped, "Thank you so much, Hiroaki."

"Enough of this!" cried Eric who was still holding Tony in his arms, "We need to get Tony to Sonozaki manor right away or he's going to die!"

Hiroaki was about to respond, but he was cut off by one of his men. "Hiroaki," he said with a respectable bow, "We captured one of the men as you requested."

"Good," said the old man, "bring him here. Oh, but before you go let me introduce you. Everyone! This is my right hand man and my trap-master: Tsenzu… All right, _now_ bring him here."

"Dorian we don't have time for this!" snarled Eric impatiently.

"My name is Hiroaki… and yes we do," stated the old man simply, as if that settled the matter.

Tsenzu returned shortly, dragging one of the soldier's by his hair, ignoring his cries of protest. He hoisted him up by his hair and pushed him roughly onto the bridge.

"Let me go!" spat the soldier furiously, thrashing about violently even though no one was holding on to him anymore, "Let me go! Let me go!"

"Answer our questions first," demanded Hiroaki, speaking in a gruff, menacing tone he rarely used.

"No!"

Hiroaki unsheathed his blade in the blink of an eye, bringing edge of his sword directly under the man's broad chin.

"And how about now?" growled the old man.

"Hiroaki," began Eric edgily, "this really isn't necessary."

The man looked up at Hiroaki and then at Eric. "I like that guy," he stated, "Can he interrogate me instead?"

"What is your name!?" snapped Hiroaki, pressing his blade even further towards the man's neck.

The man cursed in Russian.

"What!?"

"It's Dmitry!" he answered, "Dmitry Dyakov!"

"Dyakov? Are you by chance the son of a certain famous Russian general?"

"Yes!" he retorted, "He's a powerful man and he'll have you killed for what you're doing to me!"

"You do know that your father is dead, right?" implored Akasaka, "Jack transformed him into one of those things."

"That was my father?" Dmitry's jaw dropped in horror, "I…I never knew… Lanyon never told me who it was."

"Where is Jack hiding?" demanded Hiroaki, continuing the interrogation.

"Underground… under the old construction site," informed the shaken looking man, "…A-are you sure it was _my_ father?"

"How do we get there?"

"The police station has a secret entrance Jack had built years and years ago," he replied, "Under one of the floor panels. There's a secret tunnel that goes on for miles until you come out to Jack's holding cells."

"Well that helps us loads," smiled Ryuu, "The only problem is that place is probably crawling with soldiers."

"Yes," answered Dmitry, "to go in there would be suicide."

"Then we'll need a diversion," suggested Hiroaki, swiftly sheathing his blade once again without so much as grazing Dmitry, "We need to empty the base while a small group goes inside and shuts it down from the inside."

"I'll take a piece of that action," volunteered Ryuu, "I know for a fact Jack will stay behind while he sends his men to do the dirty work. He made this personal a long time ago…"

"Rena is going too," chimed the red-head girl energetically.

"Might as well count all of us in," said Eric, "But we need to get Tony and Mion back so Ken can take a look at them."

Keiichi shook his head "No, not Mion," he said as he scooped her up in his arms with a low grunt, "She'd never forgive me if I didn't let her come with us."

"Fine, I won't argue," sighed Eric, "You just better hope she comes to by tomorrow. Akasaka, you're the strongest, you can get Tony to the manor the quickest." He handed Tony off to the burly man. "Get him help as soon as you can and tell everyone the plan for tomorrow."

"Sure thing, boss-man," said Akasaka before dashing off to the manor as quickly as he could without dropping Tony.

"Me and my men will rally up any willing villagers and we'll draw Jack's men away from you so you can get in, set it to blow up, and get out without much trouble," offered Hiroaki, "Plus I want to cut down as many of Jack's men as I possibly can."

"I would also like to go with the nice man," Dmitry said, pointing to Eric, "Jack transformed my father and then had him killed and he has made me and my friends, traitors to our motherland: Russia. He must pay!"

"We could use your help," acknowledged Eric, "Do you know your way around Jack's hideout?"

Dmitry rose up and stood next to Eric. "Know it? Ha! I lived there for six months! I could walk in and out of there blind-folded!"

"That's good to hear," said Eric, "Now we don't have to kill you."

Dmitry seemed unsure if he was serious or not.

"All right, everyone who's coming with me listen up! We need weapons. Keiichi, I suggest you go loot the soldiers for guns and ammo. Get enough for all of us. After that we're all going to camp outside the station."

"Could Rena use her cleaver?" piped Rena curiously.

"Ah ha!" laughed Hiroaki heartedly, "A cleaver! The child has good fighting spirit! A blade is much more graceful than those clumsy guns." When he said the word _guns_, Hiroaki made a face that looked like he just swallowed a bit of vomit.

"Whatever floats your boat, old man," said Eric with a fond smile, "Good hunting, tomorrow."

"And to you as well, old friend. I will be praying for your safety."

"I'll be counting on it. Now get going. The villagers are sure gonna get a real pick-me-up when they see you lot coming in to back them up."

"Right you are!" laughed the old man as he turned to his followers conversing amongst themselves, "Friends! We're going to Sonozaki manor for the night! Remember to show respect to all those present! Move out!"

All one-hundred or so of his remaining followers complied instantly, marching in a line up the road leading to Sonozaki manor.

Hiroaki stayed behind as he watched his followers march away.

"It will do my heart good to see Oryo-chan again," said the old man with a distant look in his eyes, "It was the only thing I could think about when me and my men were preparing the commute down to this village."

Suddenly, Keiichi felt a staggering blow of sorrow for the old man.

"Tell me, Keiich-kun," said Hiroaki keenly, "Do I look presentable?"

Keiichi exchanged looks with Eric. "Hiroaki…" he began, "Oryo was killed last night."

The old man's excited looking face suddenly sunk by the crushing blow of this news. "Oh…" he said, "W-what happened?"

"Jack had her killed," informed Eric sadly, "I'm sorry, Hiroaki…"

The old man staggered back down the bridge and for a moment Keiichi was afraid he was going to fall. "No…" he gasped, sounding out of breath, "I…I'll be fine." A single tear dripped from Hiroaki's hooked nose and fell to the ground with a tiny _drip_. "Good luck, tomorrow, my friends."

And with that last goodbye, Hiroaki staggered off to the manor, limping as though his body had finally caught up to how old it truly was. As soon as he was out of sight, Keiichi heard a roar of fury and sorrow that caused a flock of crows to flap their wings in liftoff as they fled from the terrifying noise.

"Let's get going…" said Eric, "Dmitry, can I trust you won't double-cross us?"

"You have my word," vowed the young man.

"That's good enough. Let's grab our weapons and go."

And so after they did loot the corpses of the fallen soldiers for weapons and ammunition and after Rena snagged her clever from her house, Eric led them to the police station.

The quiet atmosphere that had befallen the unusual group was pierced by a rousing sigh from the young girl held in Keiichi's arms.

"Kei-chan?" she whispered drearily, "What happened?"

"I'll tell you about it later," said Keiichi with a loving smile, "Just rest for now."

Mion didn't argue. She simply nuzzled her head up against Keiichi's chest and fell back to sleep as Eric led them to the belly of the beast…

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: This chapter took so long to write! Arggh! It took three attempts to write this but each time I was unsatisfied with the finished product. But I am satisfied with this one. Which is why I uploaded it. Me thinks we have three more chapters to go, if you count the epilogue. But that is just a guesstimate so we shall see what happens.

Plz leave a review :D Reviews make me smile.


	29. Chapter 28: The Battle for Hinamizawa

Chapter 28: The Battle for Hinamizawa

**Warning: Uber long chapter**

The sun could not have risen slower the next day. Time seemed to be taunting them with its suddenly sluggish pace as the villagers amassed into one enormous group and began slowly emptying the dark, cold cave and out into the roads carrying whatever weapons they were fortunate enough to retrieve last night. Most of them carried some form of firearm that they had salvaged from their homes in the dead of the night. Others looted swords from Sonozaki manor or were given bows by Hiroaki's men.

The old man and his men were nowhere to be seen that day. He had told Akasaka that they would move faster on their own and they would provide them with cover from the trees and other forms of shelter. Akasaka was leading the mass of distraught looking villagers, possibly to their dooms. He had left Tony back at the manor with Ken Irie and old man Kimiyoshi. But anyone else who could hold a weapon came with them.

Tsenzu, Hiroaki's right hand man and self proclaimed "trap-master", was walking beside Akasaka silently, keeping one hand ready on the hilt of his katana and warily glancing at the surrounding trees.

Akasaka and the others were simply going to _try_ and take down one of the siren-towers. Hopefully, that would get their attention and Jack would empty the hideout of most of his men so Eric and the others could infiltrate it before it was too late. Akasaka glanced at his watch. It was 8:00 in the morning now. He figured they had plenty of time to destroy the remains of the_ Homine Optimes_ before Jack's plan came into fruition.

"Careful," cautioned Tsenzu suddenly when they came to a fork in the road, "I set a trap here. Tell everyone to walk around the road and cross the bridge."

Although he didn't like being bossed around by someone younger than him, Akasaka didn't hesitate to obey his order. He told everyone to get off the road and stay on the grass as they crossed the tiny stone bridge.

Akasaka stayed behind as the villagers solemnly crossed the bridge, some of them even stopping in hesitance before pressing on. Akasaka felt a strong wave of pity for them. They had no idea what they were doing… and they knew it.

Suddenly, Akasaka caught sight of three rather short girls making their way to the bridge.

"Rika! Satoko! Hanyuu!" he cried, marching towards them with a stern look in his eye, "What are you all doing here!? You're supposed to be back at the manor with Kimiyoshi!"

"But Akasaka-san, we want to help," insisted Satoko, "Mii-chan said they have my Nii-nii and Shii-chan!"

"And it would break their hearts if you three ended up getting killed after we get them out!" argued Akasaka heatedly, "You don't want to that now do you?"

Satoko hung her head sadly in response. "No… but…"

"Akasaka-san," said Rika, cutting across Satoko in her dark voice, "This village is important to me and my friends. Not only that, Jack Lanyon is responsible for the suffering of countless villagers by disturbing the rest of the ancient demons. He must be punished."

"But you're a child," he insisted.

Rika smiled up at him briskly. "Looks are deceiving, Akasaka Mamorou-san."

And with that, Rika led her two friends across the bridge, giving Akasaka one last caring smile before she was engulfed by the crowd of bustling villagers.

______________________________________________________________________________

John Withers had not slept, eaten, or even used the bathroom since Jack' disturbing announcement yesterday nor had any of his colleagues. President Reagan was discussing something with Prime-Minister Thatcher—undoubtedly about where America would stand in this whole ordeal.

However, John had not giving any input on their current predicament. Not that he really ever did that in any case. He normally used Greg as a conduit for translating his mumbles into intelligible phrases and arguments. But now all he could do was stare hopelessly into his friend's cold, dead eyes as he lay slumped over in his seat with a bullet in between his eyes. John grimaced at the vivid memory of Greg's dying words and that last encouraging wink he gave to John just before he was murdered. What did he mean by that? He could tell he was trying to transmit some kind of message to him in the last moments of his life but his brain had been numb with shock at the time.

"What do I do, Greg?" he whimpered in a hushed tone, "What did you want me to do?"

John's conversation with his dead friend was suddenly interrupted by a very gentle, cautious sounding voice from his rear.

"John," said Reagan, trying to get his attention, "Let it go. He's dead."

"_Yeah, you don't think I know that!?"_ growled John internally. He turned and faced the president with tired bags under his eyes. "I'm sorry sir," he apologized, "I was just talking to myself."

John avoided eye contact with him, simply staring at his coffee-mug with a dismal expression, running his hands through his disheveled hair.

"The rest of the nations are leaning towards signing Jack's treaty," updated Reagan, "The only person who doesn't look like he's gonna give up is Andropov." The two of them glanced at the aged Russian Chairman, who was currently being surrounded by other world-leaders trying to convince him to do otherwise. "I got to hand it to those Russians," began Reagan with a tired smile, "they don't give up easily. Although, I guess that's the best _and_ the worst things about them."

Reagan chuckled a bit, looking hopefully at John to see if he had worked out any kind of cheery expression on his solemn face. But alas, John remained completely rigid.

"Where do you think we should stand, Mr. Withers?" queried Reagan, "If we don't forfeit our nation, we'll probably be destroyed. Although, there is a small chance we'd rise above this thing with Russia on our side."

John made no effort to summon a response.

"It's funny how that works out," observed the President, "A week ago, we were at war with Russia. Now, in the world's darkest hour, there's a very good chance that our two nations will have to band together as a beacon for the free world."

John didn't really find that "funny". Ironic, maybe, but it didn't make him chuckle. It actually came across as rather depressing that it would take something as horrifying as what was happening now to make these two nations see that their fighting was entirely pointless when they had bigger enemies to worry about.

Speaking of enemies…

James and his fellow goons suddenly entered the room carrying a large stack of paper that John guessed was to be used for their signatures in signing their nation's power over to Jack. James and his followers took their places at the center of the room, slamming their papers down at a desk in front of Thatcher. "Well, you've all had plenty of time to think," began James, "I really wasn't supposed to hand out these papers until later but I think you lot have had enough time. So everyone just sign on the dotted line and we won't have to kill anyone. We'll be back to collect your signatures in an hour."

After he finished his brief announcement, James exited the room with his bodyguards trailing behind him, giving them all very nasty looks.

"Well, I guess that's it then," said Minister Thatcher in defeat, "What choice to we have? I'm signing…"

"As will we," vouched the German Ambassador soberly as he rose up to snatch a paper, "I'd rather surrender today to give us all a fighting chance tomorrow."

John watched in bafflement as each nation submitted to Jack's will, grabbing a paper and reading over the long, long column of text and staring at the dotted line warily with their pens held ready. He couldn't stand for this! Greg would have snatched these papers away and burnt them before anyone had the chance to sign them.

Suddenly, John heard the scratching of pen on paper next to him and was horrified to see Reagan already writing out his first name on the dotted line. "What are you doing!" cried John, rising from his seat in astonishment, "You can't be serious!"

Reagan didn't seem surprised by his reaction. "Ahhh… so you do speak."

"Of course I speak!" barked John, much louder than he had intended, "And apparently, I've been quiet for far too long!"

Little did John know, but all eyes in the room had suddenly landed on him.

"Well, why shouldn't I be signing this, John?" asked Reagan.

"What do you mean _'why'_?! You know why! I'd rather burn in hell than sit idly while Jack Lanyon takes over the entire world overnight!"

"But if we don't sign, the same thing will happen," objected an Ambassador from Germany, "Only worse. We'll all just be killed!"

John seemed to suddenly become aware that all eyes were now on him. Immediately, the fierce expression directed at his president faded and he all he wanted to do was quietly sit back down in his chair but his legs had locked up as stiff as a board.

"W-what?" stammered John, trying to play it off like he hadn't said anything.

"You said we shouldn't sign," refreshed Thatcher, "and we were wondering why."

"_Damnit lady! You weren't actually supposed to answer!" _

"W-we-well if we d-do sign th-then Jack can just ca-r-ry out his plan right now," explained John, his leg's trembling to the point where he feared they'd snap in two, "I-I'm sure t-the villagers have a plan."

Everyone seemed to be a little confused by his stutter, which only made him feel worse.

"How do you know?" asked Thatcher dubiously, "We can't put our faith in these villagers. Jack has a group of Russian separatists on his side. They wouldn't survive against them for very long.

Everyone's gaze shifted from Thatcher to John again, waiting for his reply.

John knew how to counter Thatcher's remark but he just couldn't get the words out. His mouth just wouldn't budge and the longer he felt the hundred or so gazes boring into his head the tighter his jaw clamped shut.

"_You just need to stop worrying about what people think of what you have say and just say it,"_ echoed the words of Greg Fears in his head. John stiffened, surprised by his own brain.

He turned his head, looking once again into the lifeless eyes of his good-friend who had taken the fall for his clumsy mistake. John felt a sudden stitch of shame well up inside of him as he began to understand the meaning of that final, encouraging wink Greg had shot him before he died. He had foreseen this. Somehow, Greg knew that once he was gone John would be the only voice of reason left in the room. He had been confident, even at death, that John would not disappoint him…

"But…" began John, turning to face Thatcher again, "…if we do sign these papers, and give everything to Jack, would you really want to live wondering what could have happened if you had given those villagers a chance?" Even John was surprised by how fluently he had said that.

Thatcher nodded in agreement. Even Andropov couldn't help but grinning at John's fixed refusal in forfeiting his nation over to Jack.

"I am with the skinny American," announced Andropov in finality, his Russian accent as thick as ever, "Nothing will be changing my mind."

"Well, we might as well," shrugged the German Ambassador, "We Germans are too proud to give up what we have left of our country."

And suddenly, the tables turned. With each nation that decided to resist Jack Lanyon, more nations followed as they were filled with a sudden rush of confidence and before they knew it, all of Jack's papers had been torn to bits and thrown on to the floor in absolute rejection.

"Congratulations, Withers," smiled President Reagan proudly, "You've turned a group politicians into rebels, that's not something that happens every day."

______________________________________________________________________________

**10:00; Hinamizawa, Japan; 4 hours left**

Keiichi and the others were still waiting anxiously outside the police station, each of them in bullet proof vests and each of them wielding some kind of weapon. Keiichi, Eric, and the Russian boy named Dmitry all held automatic rifles in their hands as they crouched down low beneath the bushes and waited for some kind of sign. Mion had insisted on a more accurate weapon, a 9 mm pistol that she was holstering in the small leather pouch that usually contained her air-soft gun. Rena, who had completely disregarded the bullet-proof vest, simply carried her cleaver in her hands. And Ryuu, much to Keiichi's protests, carried nothing but the elegantly crafted switch-blade their father had intended to give him before his death. Keiichi had finally decided to give it to him last night now that he felt he could fully trust his brother again.

"This is taking too long," grumbled Mion, who was rubbing the tiny scratch that had been left on her head from yesterday's incident, "Do you think something happened to Akasaka and the others?"

"It's possible," replied Eric grimly.

"Oh, ye of little faith," snickered a wheezy old voice from behind the group.

They all spun around with their weapons pointed at the intruder, their hearts thumping in their chests in sudden alarm.

Hiroaki just laughed. "A little edgy this evening, aren't we?"

"Don't do that!" hissed Eric angrily, lowering his weapon and sighing loudly, "I was _this_ close to blowing your head off."

"Not even in your wildest dreams, old friend," teased to old man.

"Shut up," grumbled Eric, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I came to see the show," laughed the old man, "I'm just dropping by though."

"What show?"

Eric's answer came in the form of an enormous thundering boom that wasn't coming from the dark storm clouds overhead. Keiichi felt the ground rattle underneath his feet and he lost balance, stumbling face forward onto the dirt.

"What was that?" Dmitry nearly shouted.

"That was your diversion," answered the elderly man, "I just came to tell you to be ready. Any minute now Jack's men should be pouring out of there to see where that boom was coming from."

"What makes you think that?" queried Ryuu.

"Because that was one of his precious siren-towers," laughed the old man with a toothy smile, "I don't think Jack's men will expect the entire village to be waiting for them when they show up, though."

And sure enough, Keiichi heard a loud cry coming from inside the police station as two soldiers bashed the front door open with their rifles, looking seriously miffed.

"Is that it?" scoffed Ryuu, "We're gonna need to get rid more than just t—Hey where did he go?"

The others turned around to where the old man had been sitting but all that was there now where a few broken twigs.

"I didn't even hear him get up," gasped Dmitry in awe.

"Shhh!" hissed Mion quickly, "Look! More are coming out." She pointed at the police station and they were surprised to see a mess of about ten or fifteen soldiers pour out of the front door followed by several more that were followed by even more soldiers.

"Holy shit!" gasped in Ryuu in a whisper, "There's got to be at least a hundred of them already."

"And they're still coming out," pointed out Keiichi.

It didn't seem physically possible! Keiichi was immediately reminded of dozens of clowns clambering out of a teeny-tiny clown car that appeared just too small to fit the lot of them. There was no way the police station contained all of these soldiers. It took at least twenty minutes for the last soldier to empty out. There had to be over six-hundred!

"I hope Hiroaki and the villagers know what they're getting into," whispered Mion after the final soldier was a safe distance away.

"We can only hope," agreed Eric as he clambered out from the bush he and the others had been using for cover, "Let's get in there. Dmitry, you lead the way."

Dmitry happily took up the lead. "Stay close," he cautioned as they began their stealthy approach to the front double doors of the station.

They each held their weapons ready as they neared the front door. And just as they were about to enter they heard voices coming from the other end.

They were about to get into cover but it was too late, the door swung open and five Russian soldiers appeared on the other end. Dmitry took this as an opportunity to open fire, quickly squeezing down his trigger and unleashing a few rounds of bullets into them until he had reduced them to a bloody pile of corpses.

"So much for stealth," sighed Mion, "C'mon."

They stepped over the fallen soldiers as they entered into the dark lit station. "I don't hear anymore soldiers," observed Keiichi, "I think it's safe."

"Alright, Dmitry," said Eric as he lowered his heavy gun, "Where's this secret entrance?"

"In the archives," he answered, "I'll show you."

He led them to a large room that was bordered by towering file-cabinets that stretched all the way to the ceiling. He then proceeded to begin tapping his foot on every square inch of the floor until he heard a hollow thumping sound. He reached down to the place where he was standing and slid his fingers underneath the floor panel, heaving it up to reveal a hole about six meters deep with a ladder bolted into its northern wall.

Immediately, the group was greeted by a shrill screeching noise that echoed through the dark tunnel.

"What the hell is that!?" cried Mion with her hands cupped over her ears, "It's loud as hell!"

"It's the Sonozaki girl Jack's keeping down there!" answered Dmitry, shouting over Shion's feral shrieks, "You know, come to think of it, you look a lot like her!"

______________________________________________________________________________

"Do you think that got their attention?" coughed Akasaka as he inhaled another plume of dust that was produced by the violent collapse of the siren-tower that lay flat on the dusty road.

"It should've," answered Tsenzu, "if it didn't though I'm gonna be really pissed! I spent fifteen minutes putting together those traps." He motioned to the road leading to the station, pointing at the seemingly invisible traps he had laid.

"Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!" chimed the small blonde girl standing at Akasaka's side, "Amateur. Did it really take you fifteen minutes to set your traps?"

Tsenzu looked at Satoko with a dubiously raised eye brow. "Oh? You think you can do better than me, kid?"

"I set traps every day!" she declared proudly, "And one trap only takes me a minute and that's on a slow day!"

"But your traps are not on the same destructive scale as mine!" argued Tsenzu angrily, "This is beyond little ink spills and chalk-board erasers."

Satoko simply shrugged. "Still," she said, "A-m-a-teur."

"Just leave it, Tsenzu-kun," advised Akasaka when he saw the man open his mouth to argue again, "We have bigger problems."

"Like what?"

"Like that." Akasaka pointed towards the dark, silhouetted figures emerging from the cloud of dust in front of them.

The other villagers noticed it too and they quickly held their weapons ready as the menacing specters in the dust drew nearer.

Thunder clapped over head like a tremendous war-drum that fueled the spirits of the villagers. Akasaka turned to the five-hundred the men and women gathered behind him and was almost impressed to see not a single look of fear or distress among them. They looked determined and fierce, like fully trained soldiers going into battle.

The cicadas let out a fierce battle-cry in the stead of the villagers, their cries somehow filling Akasaka with a new found confidence.

"Hey Rika," he said to the small girl standing to his left, "Have you met my family?"

The small, purple headed girl looked up at the large man with a quizzical stare. "No," she answered simply.

"If something happens to me," he began, his eyes fixed on the approaching wave of enemies emerging from the thick haze of dust, "Tell them what happened to me."

Rika didn't seem to understand the meaning of his words. Akasaka always appeared to be the man of steel to her. The very thought of him being killed or even being hurt simply did not compute with Rika's brain.

"Get to the back, Rika," ordered Akasaka, "Take your friends with you."

"But—"

"Now!" he barked.

Rika flinched at the intensity of his voice and quickly grabbed Hanyuu and Satoko by the hand and guided them to the back of the line.

"Everyone with a gun get to the front!" dictated Akasaka, keeping his eyes glued on his targets.

The villagers complied without hesitation, gathering in an organized row towards the front of the crowd with their guns held ready.

"Everyone in the very front needs to get on their knees!" he instructed, "Everyone behind them, remain standing and keep your guns ready!" They obeyed his orders, those in the front touching their knees down to the dirt floor and held their guns ready to fire. Akasaka was impressed at how well they took the orders. He would have suspected there to have been some kind of hectic confusion by now.

"Aim!"

"Wait, Akasaka-san," cut off Tsenzu before he could give the order to fire, "Watch what happens."

He shot Tsenzu an inquiring look but he only smiled in response. The soldiers continued marching forward, and just when they were beginning to become more visible there was an ear shattering explosion followed by a sudden eruption of dust flying into the air again, shrouding the soldiers from their sight once more.

"What was that!?" cried Akasaka.

"Trap number one," answered Tsenzu, casting Satoko a gloating look, "And now for number two."

As if on cue, there was a loud snapping sound and several trees that were standing on either side of the dirt road suddenly toppled forward onto the soldiers with a bone-shattering _crunch_. Akasaka could hear the dying screams of their enemies from where he stood and by the sound of it, a third trap had just gone off.

"All right, now you may shoot them," permitted Tsenzu with a proud smile.

"Well that won't be possible now," chuckled Akasaka, "I can't see anything from behind the dust."

…But apparently, the Russians could see them.

Akasaka saw the cloud of dust begin to open up in some areas as tiny bullets tore through its thick veil of dirt and soil. The two villagers standing on Akasaka's right suddenly collapsed to floor without letting so much as a whimper escape their dying lips.

The soldiers let out a furious battle-cry as they dashed out from the barrier of dust that separated the two opposing sides, firing their guns at the first person they saw move. Soon, the entire front line of villagers had been mowed down as more and more Russians emerged from the veil of dust.

"Fire!" cried Akasaka.

His cry was answered by a round of loud gunshots emitting from all around him and plumes of smoke that shot from the barrels of the villager's guns as they opened fire. Luckily, because the opposing force had been so cluttered, not much aiming was required on the villagers' parts and as a result, the enemy soldiers began toppling over face first into the dirt.

But unfortunately, their luck did not last. Fear pierced into Akasaka's heart when he heard the dreadful clicking of guns without ammo, a sound that no man wanted to hear especially in a situation like this.

"Reload!" bellowed Akasaka as the Russians held up their guns again for another merciless attack, "Reload, reload, reload!"

Now the villagers started looking scared. Most of them had never had to use a gun in their lives and it was one thing to know how to shoot a gun… but reloading it was an entirely different matter. The devastated looking villagers quickly fished in their pockets for another clip or another round of bullets and tried their best to properly reload their weapons but the Russians were too quick. If any one of the villagers looked even close to getting their gun reloaded, they were quickly spotted and shot down.

"They're charging us!" cried Akasaka, "Quickly! Reload before they get too close!"

Akasaka could hear their thunderous footsteps grow even louder as they drew nearer. He turned to face them and saw that they were not even six whole meters away from them. Why weren't they just shooting them now?

"Got anymore more traps, Tsenzu?" inquired Akasaka as he removed the 12 gauge shotgun he had slung over his back. His answer came in the form of a chorus of shocked screams from the Russian soldiers followed by a round of hollow thuds. He was surprised to see one or two soldiers suddenly vanish right where they stood, as if they had been sucked into the ground and soon twenty or more soldiers met the same fate.

"What's going on!?" cried Akasaka amidst all the chaos, "What's happening to them?"

"I don't know!" shouted Tsenzu over the confused cries of the soldiers, "I… I think someone set a bunch of pitfall traps on the road. But… I never…" His eyes widened in sudden astonishment as he turned to meet the eyes of a very pleased looking Satoko Hojo.

"Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!" she cackled, "There is only room for one trap-master in this town, Tsenzu-san!"

______________________________________________________________________________

The six of them climbed down the ladder leading to the bottom of the hole and they came to what seemed to be the beginning of a very long tunnel. "Where are we?" inquired Ryuu, "It smells terrible down here."

"The sewers," answered Dmitry, "If you take the right path it leads you straight to the ancient burial grounds. I know the way though so don't worry."

Mion shivered when she heard the tortured screams of her sister reverberate off the sewer walls. "What did they do to her?" she whimpered.

"They tried to transform her," answered Dmitry as he withdrew a flashlight from his pocket and strapped it on to the barrel of his gun using duct tape, "I was against it myself. It seemed pointless to torment that poor girl any further but Jack was persistent. But the strangest thing happened when her transformation begun—Careful over here, it's slippery."

"What happened?" pried Mion anxiously.

"She just… wouldn't change," replied Dmitry as he continued to lead them through the dark sewage tunnel that slowly began to slant even further downward beneath the village, "Normally, a specimen would transform completely in a matter of minutes but she has an incredible will to retain her humanity. It's been over a month and she still hasn't been fully transformed."

"Is she alright?" she pressed.

Dmitry shrugged. "I'm not a scientist, lady," he replied, "I have no idea what's gonna happen to her. Ow! Hey! Your cleaver is poking me!"

"Oops, sorry," apologized Rena sweetly.

Finally, the group emerged from the cramped little sewage tunnel, their hair soaked from all the slimy filth that had been trickling down from over their heads. However, they weren't out of the sewers yet. Now they were standing on a railed metal walkway that loomed over an enormous pool of thick sewage water. The walkway outlined the edge of the rectangular room they now stood in that seemed to stretch on for infinity.

"I can't even see where this room ends," observed Eric dismally.

"It's not as big as it looks," assured Dmitry as they began crossing the walkway, "Just… don't fall off the railing."

Keiichi didn't find that very reassuring…

"Wait!" hissed Ryuu, "I think I see someone!"

"Turn off your light! Turn off your light!" ordered Eric urgently, "Quick! Before they see us!"

Dmitry fumbled with his gun, clumsily grasping for the flashlight strapped to the tip of it so he could flick it off, thus plunging the group into nearly complete and total darkness. The only other source of light they could see came from the other end of the room… from another flashlight held by a large man who was being followed by four other equally burly soldiers.

"Shit! It's a patrol!" cursed Dmitry in a distressed whisper, "We can't let them see us."

"Why?"

"Because they can trigger the alarm," retorted Dmitry with a scowl, "We'll have to try and hit them from here."

"Impossible! They're way over on the other side of the room!" dismissed Keiichi incredulously, "We can't hit them from here."

"Hmph," scoffed Mion, withdrawing her pistol from its sleeve with a cocky smile, "Maybe you can't but I know I can."

"Wait Mion don't--!"

Keiichi's cry was drowned out by five very loud gunshots that sent a shrill ringing to his ears, followed by five screams and five metallic thuds as five large bodies collapsed onto the metal walkway. Keiichi's eyes were wide with awe at Mion's incredible marksmanship skills. She had just killed the entire patrol unit while sparing only five bullets.

"What?" said Mion to her companions' awestruck expressions, "You didn't think I just carried that air-soft pistol around with me all the time just to look cool, did you? I actually practiced with that thing."

"…" Keiichi couldn't decide if he found her terrifying or just more attractive at this point.

"I love you," gawked Keiichi in astonishment.

"I know," she replied, holstering her pistol with a proud smile.

"No hang on, hang on," repeated Eric, squinting his eyes and looking ahead towards the end of the room, "One of them is still moving!"

"What!?" cried Dmitry, "I don't see him!"

"He's about to trigger the alarm!" shouted Ryuu, "Shoot him, Mion!"

"I don't see him!" she shrieked, "Where is he!?"

Too late…

There was a series of loud clicks as several red flood lights lit up above them and the room was filled with a sound even more terrifying that Shion's screaming: the alarm.

The entire room was lit up in the red light and Mion immediately had a clear view of a crippled man with his hand still on the alarm switch. She didn't hesitate to blow his head off with one pull of her trigger, killing him instantly. "Damnit!" she cursed, "I can't believe I missed him!"

"Well, now we won't have to worry about avoiding the soldiers anymore!" cried Dmitry over the ear-piercing siren, "Because they'll all come to us!"

______________________________________________________________________________

The battle overhead was suddenly halted by a loud cry from the siren-towers. However, this did not sound like the same _Echo_ Akasaka had heard before. It sounded more like… like an alarm.

Both opposing forces stopped what they were doing as the shrill shrieking of the siren-towers filled the air. "Someone has infiltrated our base!" cried one of the soldiers, "These villagers were only used to make us leave our base unprotected. We must return at once!"

Akasaka never thought he'd live to see the day where'd he actually be upset his enemies were declaring a full-retreat. He couldn't let them go back. Not while Keiichi and the others were still down there. Akasaka tried to get their attention by shooting down another one of their soldiers but they didn't even seem to notice, they simply began sprinting back to the station while occasionally firing back at the villagers.

"Don't let them get away!" cried Akasaka, "Charge!"

The villagers let out a ferocious battle-cry before launching themselves forward, leaping over Satoko's exposed pitfall traps with their guns blazing. But this time, the Russians were prepared. Their superior armor kept them safe from the feeble weapons of the villagers, and as a result only five or six Russian soldiers were killed from the hundreds of bullets that had just been fired. The soldiers swerved around, disregarding the siren's call, and began mowing down villager after villager. Akasaka felt a bullet graze his shoulder, causing him to lower his gun in pain.

Another bullet pierced him in his thigh, crippling him instantly and sending him falling to his knees as he struggled to get back up again. Tears of pain blurred his vision but he could still barely make out the distorted image of a man walking towards him, holding his rifle ready. Before he knew it, he felt the butt of a rifle being swung down across his face, making him cry with pain as he was knocked down into the dirt.

He felt a few droplets of water sprinkle on his face as another furious crack of thunder boomed from the sky as the clouds began to release their waters unto the battling men and women below them. The dirt quickly became mud and soon it caked half of Akasaka's face just before he was wrenched up by his hair. He felt the barrel of a gun being pressed to his head, rendering him motionless with fear. Slowly, his vision began to return to him and he could clearly see the soldier's delighted smile as his finger slid onto his trigger.

Akasaka winced as he braced himself for death, but rather than feeling his head explode, he heard a strange gurgling sound coming from the soldier's mouth. He opened his eyes again and saw blood trickling from the corners of his mouth. He dropped his gun and began trying to reach behind him for whatever was causing him this pain but before he could make it stop, the unfortunate man toppled over on his side and died, revealing Rika and Hanyuu standing behind him with a pair of kitchen knives in their hands.

Akasaka could not mask his relief at being saved, but he still felt a twinge of guilt for getting these two girls mixed up in this violent mess, forcing them to spill the blood of others.

"See, Akasaka-san?" cooed Rika, "Now I won't have to tell your family anything. Nipah~!"

He smiled at her fondly and accepted her tiny hand to help him up. His leg practically exploded with pain as his weight was suddenly applied to it, causing his face to contort with pain.

"Akasaka-san!" yelped Rika, crying over the resounding screams and gunshots.

"I'm fine!" he insisted, "You two need to get out of here, though! This isn't safe!"

"But Akasaka-san we want to help!" cried Hanyuu insistently, "This is our village!"

"I know but---" Akasaka looked up just in time to see a small, egg shaped item flying their way. "Grenade!" he called, "Move now!"

Both Rika and Hanyuu seemed too confused to move anywhere, so Akasaka was forced to pick them up and get them all to safety. He felt the ground behind him suddenly erupt from the force of the grenade's explosion. The two girls in his arms yelped as mud and shards of loose rock zipped past them, grazing their knees and their arms.

Now Akasaka was without a weapon, and two soldiers had him under their scopes. Akasaka quickly tossed the girls out of the way and drew the soldiers' fire by running away in complicated zig-zag patterns in hopes of throwing them off.

He glanced behind him and saw the villagers still trying to engage the soldiers in combat… and loosing very badly. However the soldiers were not killing them as he had thought. They were capturing them…

Of course! That's why they didn't open fire when they charged them the first time around. The villagers were Jack's means to take over the world. Without them, there'd be nothing to use as a threat. He just wanted to restrain the villagers until Echo went off.

Akasaka saw that he was practically the last remaining person on the villager's side who had not yet been bound by the soldiers. Even Tsenzu and Satoko were being handcuffed and then tossed roughly into the mud and the muck. Akasaka gave up running when he realized they weren't trying to shoot him anymore.

Something grabbed him from behind and wrestled him to the ground, twisting both his arms around and rendering him completely defenseless as they strapped a pair of handcuffs around his meaty wrists.

That was it… there were no more villagers left who weren't in handcuffs… they had lost.

______________________________________________________________________________

Rena swung her cleaver down on another soldier, hewing off his arm from the meat of his shoulder. He cried in pain before he was silenced by Ryuu, hoisting him violently over the railing of the walkway and casting him into the sewage water. Mion and Keiichi were standing back to back as soldiers began pouring in from both sides of the room, taking down as many as they could from where they stood.

A soldier charged at Ryuu, holding nothing but a hunting knife in his hand that he was forced to use after Ryuu disarmed him of his rifle. Ryuu swung his switch blade upward, driving it into the man's outstretched elbow and twisting his arm around so he was holding him as a human shield. Ryuu bent down and grabbed the soldier's rifle and began firing it with one hand. Despite the fact Ryuu was holding one of their comrades as a human shield, the soldiers did not hesitate to open fire on the both of them. It didn't take long for the soldier Ryuu was holding to go limp with death after his comrades had pumped his stomach full of bullets and Ryuu was forced to cast him aside too. He discarded his gun and sprinted forward across the walkway, dodging every single bullet with awe-striking agility. When he reached the soldiers, he swung his switch-blade across one of their thighs and then brought it up to the underside of his chin. Rena was close behind him and was forced to throw her cleaver straight at one of the soldiers who was about to fire at Ryuu. Her cleaver pierced his chest and just before he fell to the ground Ryuu wrenched it out and sliced off a man's firing arm. The man's suffering was brief however, because Dmitry fired a shot from across the room with a long-ranged rifle he had recently acquired from one of the soldiers and tore a hole through the man's chest instantly. Finally, the seemingly infinite garrison of soldiers stopped pouring into the room, giving the group a chance to catch their breath before they continued through the sewers.

But suddenly, they noticed something odd. It had gotten quiet… too quiet.

"Why did the alarm stop?" queried Rena in an out-of-breath voice, "What's going on?"

"It's a trap," answered Dmitry, "It's to make us think we're in the clear—get us to let our guard down. Trust me, this isn't over yet."

With caution, the six of them proceeded down the walkway, finally coming to a set of stairs that headed downwards even further.

The tortured screams of Mion's twin sister grew even louder as they approached the door at the bottom of the staircase. She couldn't help but grab Keiichi's arm tightly in fear of what they would see on the other end.

Dmitry swung the door open, his rifle held ready. But, much to his surprise, they came out onto an empty corridor. The only things that were here were what appeared to be countless holding cells that were lined up down either side of the wall with a medium sized glass window for each one. All of them were completely empty… except one.

"Satoshi!" cried Ryuu, recognizing the disfigured boy from when they last met, "That's Satoshi!"

They ran to his cell, tapping on the glass window that was placed over a small control panel to get his attention.

"You know this boy?" queried Dmitry dubiously.

"Yes!" cried Mion, "That's Satoshi Hojo! He went missing over a year ago!"

"Are you sure?" asked Dyakov, "Because we brought him here only about a month ago along with the Sonozaki girl."

"What?"

"Yes," he answered, "He was locked up in the Irie Clinic. Jack found out he was there and he had him brought here for testing."

Mion wore a shocked expression on her face. "What was he doing there?"

"Don't worry about that now," soothed Keiichi, "Let's just get him out."

"I wouldn't do that," advised Dmitry.

"Why not?"

"He's not entirely safe anymore," he explained, "Jack kept him isolated here for so long after he triggered his transformation. He's become a bit violent."

"Does he look violent to you?!" barked Mion, gesturing to the young boy curled up in a ball in the corner of his cell, "Now you get him out. Right now!"

"Alright, alright!" he yelled, brushing them aside so he could get to the control panel. He punched in a code and hit enter, unlocking the door instantly with a loud click.

Mion quickly wrenched the door open, causing Satoshi to perk up upon hearing the familiar rusty creek of the door hinge.

"Satoshi!" she cried fondly, "Satoshi! It's me! It's Mi-!"

Mion was quickly cut off by a ferocious roar from Satoshi as he brandished his long nails on the metal floor, sending sparks flying in all directions.

Ryuu immediately foresaw what Satoshi was about to do and quickly ran towards Mion, roughly knocking her out the way as Satoshi sprung forward, landing on Ryuu.

"He hasn't been fed!" cried Dmitry, "He's not safe! Run! Run!"

Mion was frozen with shock, staring with terror at Satoshi's fiery red eyes. They looked just like Ryuu's did all those years ago… the day when everything changed.

Ryuu's stormy gray eyes locked with Satoshi's as they struggled with each other to gain the upper hand. Ryuu slowly began to rise up, his hands grasped around Satoshi's shoulders as he began pushing upward with all his strength. Satoshi had a hungry look in his eyes as he stared down at the meat of Ryuu's neck, licking his lips ravenously as he made a move to bite his throat. Ryuu was forced to let himself be slammed back down again to avoid Satoshi's narrow teeth.

"Don't shoot!" cried Ryuu when he heard Eric raise his weapon, "I can handle this!"

Satoshi thought otherwise, swiping his claw like finger nails across Ryuu's face.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!!" cried Ryuu, "You… bastard! My eye! My eye!"

"Ryuu!" cried Rena, calling him by his actual name for the first time since they had met. She prepared her cleaver but Ryuu shook his head. "Satoshi!" he called, "Stop it! This isn't you! You know this isn't you! Think of what you're doing, Satoshi!"

He snarled at him hungrily, this time swiping his nails across Ryuu's chest, leaving four bloody streaks running diagonally across his already scarred body. Ryuu let out a tormented scream as he felt Satoshi's razor sharp nails drag across his chest. "Satoshi! Think of Shion! Think of Satoko! You have to fight it, Satoshi! For their sake, fight it!"

Satoshi's hungry looking eyes flickered, like a light-bulb in its last moments of life. A familiar pair of purple eyes began to emerge from the red shroud that had replaced them, giving him a more gentle and tame look. Satoshi grimaced, his face contorting with pain as if someone had just winded him in the gut.

"Satoshi! Fight it! This isn't who you really are, Satoshi! Fight it and we can save Shion like you told me to!"

Satoshi seemed to respond to that.

"Shion…" he whispered, his voice sounding gravelly and distorted, as if two people were trying to speak at once.

"Yes… Shion…" said Ryuu soothingly, "We can free her. We can free her and you if you let me go."

Finally, Satoshi seemed to realize what he was doing and he quickly removed himself from Ryuu, looking horrified at what he had just done.

"Oh my god…" he whispered upon noticing Ryuu's bloody face, "Ryuu… What have I done?"

Ryuu smiled at him as he stood up and wiped the blood from his left eye… the only eye that he could still see out of thanks to Satoshi. "I'll live," he assured, "I'll kick your ass for this later though."

Satoshi didn't seem to find that funny, nor did anybody else.

"Oh my god, Ryuu!" exclaimed Keiichi, "Do you know what he did to your eye?!"

"Yes," he answered simply, "And I said I'll kick his ass for that later. But not when we're under the clock. Eric, how much time is left until Echo goes off?"

Eric glanced at his watch. "Two hours," he said, "We made good time."

"What exactly do you all intend on doing again?" queried Dmitry, "If you plan on destroying the skeletons by hand you can forget it. Jack has them heavily sealed."

"Why didn't you tell us that earlier?!" exclaimed Keiichi furiously.

"I thought you had a plan," shrugged the young man.

"Well that's just great!" spat Keiichi, "Now what?"

"….I have an idea…" offered Dmitry unsurely, "But its… kind of dangerous."

"Well, we'll take anything you got," said Eric, "Shoot."

"Okay. Well, Jack does have loads of explosives he keeps in a vault. But it's heavily guarded. I mean… _really_ heavily guarded. He always has at least fifty men stationed there."

"Why the hell for?"

"Probably in case something like this happened," suggested Mion, "And it's a good sign that he's so paranoid about making sure nobody gets through that vault because that means that he knows the explosives could do some damage."

"Yes, but that isn't the dangerous part," continued Dmitry, "This entire base is full of enormous containers full of bug spray and for every bug spray container there is also a chamber containing the skeleton of one _Homine Optimes_. So… if you want to destroy the skeletons the only way you'll get to them is with a highly volatile explosive… but if the bug spray so much as gets a little singed it will practically triple the explosion."

"But that's good."

"Not if we're still in here when they all go off," pointed out Dmitry, "We'd get incinerated in seconds."

"Then we'll just have to be sure we're not here when they go off, now won't we?" said Eric, "Where are these explosives?"

"Bottom floor," he answered, "we'll just take a right down the hallway and then—"

Whatever he was going to say was soon cut off by a mind numbing shriek from Shion Sonozaki.

"I'm going for my sister," insisted Mion, "The rest of you can go get the bombs."

"I'm going too," said Satoshi and Keiichi simultaneously.

"Wait… now that is a bad idea," rebuked Dmitry sternly, "Sonozaki Shion is uncontrollably dangerous. You can't hope to—"

"I won't leave her to burn when this whole place blows up!" barked Mion, "One way or another, I'm getting her out of here."

Eric shook his head. "Mion, please listen to Dmitry on this one. If she's gotten any worse than Satoshi then there's nothing we can do."

Mion glared at him. "I'm not leaving her," she said again, "And you're not going to stop me."

And with that, Mion stormed out of the cell with Satoshi and Keiichi right behind her, leaving Dmitry, Ryuu, Rena, and Eric to retrieve the bombs for themselves.

______________________________________________________________________________

Akasaka trudged along in the mud and the muck, his hands shackled as he was roughly pushed along by the soldiers on their way back to the station to quell the intruders. They were currently passing under the shade of the trees bordering them on each side of the road. He glanced at them every now and again, hoping to catch a glimpse of an old man sitting upon a branch with his bow ready. But there was not such man he could see. All he saw were the miserable and defeated faces of the villagers as they were tugged along by the brutish soldiers.

"Arggh!" roared a soldier angrily, "I hate these damn cicadas! They're so loud all the damn time! I can't wait till we won't have to deal with them anymore!"

A few of his comrades laughed knowingly.

Akasaka noticed it as well. The cicadas were loud today. Louder than they had ever been and that was really saying something. And there was something about the way they were crying out that stormy day. It sounded different somehow. Almost… a little angry.

Some of the soldiers laughed nervously at the man's previous remark, glancing overhead when no one was looking as if they feared something was about to fall out from the sky and crush them.

Suddenly, a soldier began firing his gun into the air blindly as the cry of the cicadas grew louder still.

"What the hell are you doing!?" roared one of the soldiers, whom Akasaka had to assume was the general of these men.

"Something touched me!" he cried, "GAH! I felt it again!"

"Somebody, take this man's gun away before he hurts himself," groaned the general.

There was another round of gunfire resounding from somewhere else in the crowd. "Alright, who was that!?"

"Something keeps touching me!" cried the man, "I'm not kidding!"

The general looked at his men as though they had all gone mad. "Okay, the next person who complains about something _touching_ them is gonna get a nice round of bullets pounded into em'. Keep moving!"

_Zip!_

The general quickly swatted something on his neck and grimaced when he looked at his hand to see what it was. "What the hell is this?" he grumbled, "It looks like a—AH!" He swatted himself again.

_Zip! Zip! Zip!  
_

Three more swats from the general. "What are these cicadas trying to do!?" he bellowed, swatting another cicada as it landed on his shoulder. The cicadas answered him in a thundering cry that startled even the birds from their perches in the trees. No… the cicadas weren't crying anymore… they were roaring.

They rose up from the trees, cluttered together to make a gigantic black cloud of furiously shrieking cicadas as they dove down onto the soldiers, carefully avoiding the villagers. Akasaka looked down at the hand-cuffs that were keeping him bound and saw a cicada resting on the lock, twiddling its in tiny little legs into the lock-hole until there was the definite click of his binds unlocking. He could hardly believe his eyes as his handcuffs fell from his wrists and sunk into the mud. The cicada had actually pick-locked his handcuffs for him! He looked all around him and saw that he was not the only one the cicadas had liberated. And luckily for them, the soldiers were still too distracted by cicada's aerial assault that they had no idea that their prisoners had just been freed.

Akasaka turned around to the general who was standing behind him, swatting the air to protect himself from the menacing little bugs. He tapped him on the shoulder.

"What!?" barked the general angrily.

Akasaka showed him his bare, hand-cuffless wrists. "I thought I would warn you," he said with a grin, "There… you've been warned."

He grabbed the general by the back of the head and rammed his fist into his face with a satisfying _crack_. After he released his grip on the general, he went stumbling backwards, throwing his gun up in the air in the process. Akasaka caught it and aimed for a soldier who was overseeing Rika and the other girls. He was about to fire, when something sharp suddenly shot through the man's throat. Satoko gasped as the soldier fell forward from the fatal arrow in his neck, nearly collapsing right on top of her.

Once the villagers had all been freed of their bonds, the cicadas flew away, leaving a clutter of seriously disturbed soldiers in their wake. But the soldiers were quick to realize what had happened and held steadfast to their weapons. It seemed that, due to recent events, the soldiers no longer cared about not harming the villagers. They were beginning to shoot at the first thing they saw. Akasaka felt like their situation was not much better, seeing as how he was the only one who had been able to steal a weapon. He defended as many villagers as he could from a distance, firing at any soldier who looked like he was preparing to shoot.

Suddenly, the soldiers were startled by the loud sound of what Akasaka assumed to be a trumpet or a horn that resounded from the trees. The only warning the soldiers had was the low strumming of bow strings just before countless arrows began zipping from the trees and accurately piercing the soldier of their choosing. Then, he heard the sound of steel being withdrawn from leather and at least fifty shimmering blades appeared from the trees, their wielders still concealed in the darkness.

The soldiers could only laugh as they saw the old man emerge from the forest of trees, accompanied closely by his loyal followers. Akasaka failed to see what Hiroaki intended to do by going up against guns with swords.

A look of outrage and disgust broke out on the old man's face when he saw the soldiers' amused expressions. "So you think this is funny?" he growled, glaring at each soldier individually, silencing them as soon as their gazes met, "Oh, ho, ho, ho. Then I'm gonna show you a _real _good time."

The soldiers seemed to have forgotten about the defenseless villagers in their midst.

"What cha' gonna do, huh?" snickered one of the men, "We got guns. All you have is those big knives."

"Don't forget the arrows," cautioned the old man sagely.

There was another chorus of bow strings from the trees only this time Akasaka did not see any arrows emerge. At least, not at first. But soon, Akasaka noticed a grim shadow hanging overhead and he looked up and saw two gigantic tidal-waves of arrows rising high in the air on either side of the road. The villagers were quick to move out of the way but the soldiers, with their heavy bullet-proof vests and enormous guns, had a harder time moving in time. Akasaka got out of the way just before the sea of razor-sharp arrows came crashing down on him. While the soldiers were busy trying to protect their heads by holding up their guns, Hiroaki and his men charged, quickly hoisting heavy shields up over their heads with one hand and brandishing their katanas with the other.

It seemed the tables had finally turned for the villagers of Hinamizawa.

______________________________________________________________________________

Mion followed the ear-piercing shrieks of her sister up the staircase which took her to yet another corridor constructed entirely of holding cells. But she immediately knew her sister was on this floor by the sudden increase in volume of Shion's screams. Mion didn't know what she felt more at this point; hatred for those responsible for her cries or fear for what state she may find her dear sister in.

Mion looked to Keiichi with an unsure stare and he gave a reassuring smile and a wink. "Like you said!" he cried, shouting over Shion's screaming, "We'll get her out of here one way or another!"

She smiled gratefully at him for his support before continuing through the corridor. The screams grew louder and louder as her heartbeat grew quicker and quicker to the point she feared it was going to pop in her chest. Her legs began to tremble, as if she were walking on a thin sheet of rubber, until Keiichi held her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. They finally came to her cell, only this one was a little different. The window on her cell had a sheet of metal over it, concealing what lay on the other side. Mion began to feel even more afraid when she started to wonder why that sheet of steel had been placed there in the first place.

There was a loud thud coming from the reinforced window followed by a chilling scream from the other end. Mion stared at the control panel warily, noticing a button that said "raise iron seal". She knew that if she pushed that button, she would finally get to see her sister again. But, now that she could hear her screams clearly, she didn't know if she wanted to.

"Mion, what's wrong?" asked Satoshi, sounding a little impatient, "Push the button."

Mion shook her head. "I don't think I can…"

"What? Why not?"

Keiichi felt his blood beginning to boil at the tone Satoshi was using with her. "Satoshi, just lay off."

"No! Why are you two being so stupid!? We have to get her out of here!!"

Mion felt torn inside. A part of her agreed with Satoshi… and yet the other part agreed with Keiichi.

"But we're not ready for what's on the other side," pointed out Keiichi, "You almost killed my brother when we went to free you. We need to think this through before—"

"Screw you!!" roared Satoshi furiously, "I am getting her out of here!"

"She isn't safe!"

"We can save her though!" yelled Satoshi, "We can make her safe. She hasn't been fully changed yet. Once we get her away from the skeletons she'll start turning back to normal…"

"We need a plan!"

"We need to save Shion!" insisted Satoshi.

Neither Keiichi nor Mion moved to open the iron seal blocking the still shrieking Shion from their view.

"Fine!" he snarled, a shade of crimson flickering in his eyes, "I'll do it!" Satoshi reached out his hand over the button.

"Satoshi no--!"

_Click!_

What the three of them saw on the other side... was something none of them could have ever been prepared for. It was Shion, her skin now clinging tightly to her skin like wet rubber so that every bone in her body could have been easily counted and labeled. Her eyes were now blood red, even more disturbing than Satoshi's. She also now had a tiny pair of black horns protruding from her forehead. They could see every purple vein in her white skin. And her fingers… her fingers seemed to have grown into enormous claws. Shion's screaming suddenly stopped when she noticed the people standing outside her cell and for a moment Mion thought maybe she had only been changed on the outside…. She was dead wrong.

They soon found out why that sheet of metal had been placed there as soon as Shion began ramming her horned head into the glass window, causing small cracks to spider-web from its center until it finally shattered.

"Close it! Close it! Close it!" cried Keiichi as Shion reared her head out of the open window, showing off her long, jagged teeth.

Satoshi couldn't move, he seemed to be frozen into place at the sight of what Shion had become. He was still standing directly in front of the window, gazing into Shion's red eyes with a transfixed look on his face. Shion opened her mouth and ran her jagged fingers up and down his cheek in a seemingly loving fashion. But she did not hesitate to reveal her true intentions, opening her mouth wide as she prepared to chomp down on Satoshi's head. Keiichi acted quickly, knocking the mesmerized Satoshi out of the way and quickly pressing the button to close the iron seal. Shion moved her head out of the way before the sheet of metal slowly began sliding down to seal her back in again. She opened her mouth and began shrieking at them in fury, lowering her head so she could keep her murderous gaze fixed on Keiichi until the metal seal finally slammed shut, once again locking her inside.

"You idiot!" roared Keiichi, swerving on Satoshi angrily, "You could've gotten us killed!"

He still looked like he was stuck in a trance when he tried to speak. "I…I just wanted to see her again," he sputtered, on the brink of tears, "I didn't… I didn't know…"

Mion was shaking her head in disbelief. "Shion…" she said, hardly above a whisper, "Oh no. Shion… what did they do to you… no, no, no, no."

Keiichi diverted his attention from poor, sputtering Satoshi to Mion, running up to her and pulling her into an embrace just before it seemed she was going to fall to the floor. "It's okay, Mion," whispered Keiichi, stroking her green hair lovingly with his hand, "It'll be okay…"

"No… no it won't be…" she sobbed, "Did you see her? She won't ever be the same again!"

"We can save her, Mion. We just need to think of a way to get her out of there safely."

She wrapped her arms around him, nearly knocking him to the floor, and continued to weep into his the nook of his neck. Keiichi heard footsteps approaching them and quickly drew Mion's pistol from her pouch, still holding her close as the footsteps grew louder.

He saw Ryuu, Rena, Dmitry, and Eric turn around the corner, all of them looking exhausted. "We got the bombs!" proclaimed Rena happily, "We can…"

Everyone fell silent when they heard Mion's sobs and saw Satoshi's horrified face.

"What happened?" asked Eric but Keiichi just shook his head in response.

"C'mon," he said to Mion, "Let's get out of here."

Keiichi helped guide Mion out of the corridor that was still keeping her sister and they went back down the stairs to the main level.

"Where's all the bombs?" inquired Keiichi.

"We already set them in the rooms we needed to," informed Dmitry, "All but one. The main-lab. Where Jack is along with about twenty of his best men. That's where we're gonna put the master-bomb."

"The master-bomb?"

Eric opened his mouth to explain. "The master bomb is just one bomb in a giant linked system of explosives," he explained, "All of the other bombs are wirelessly connected to the master-bomb." He pulled out a small, black, square box with a timer in the center of it just above a red clip that was plugged tightly into a small hole. "When that timer hits zero, all of the other bombs we've set in the building will go off," informed Eric.

"What's that little red clip for?" asked Keiichi.

"That's for if you want to detonate the bomb manually," elaborated Dmitry, "So do not touch that. If you do, the bomb is gonna blow up right in your face."

There was a brief silence.

"We should get going," advised Dmitry, "Jack's lab isn't too far from here. It's payback time."

And with that Dmitry began leading them straight to Jack's lab. Everyone except Keiichi and Mion...

"Hey," said Keiichi, kissing her warmly on the cheek, "If you want to stay here and just… think for a while we'll understand."

Mion looked straight ahead towards Jack's lab, her entire body trembling with a hatred so powerful it almost made her want to die. She shook her head. "I want to kill them all," she growled, "Starting with that one-armed, no-eyed son of a bitch."

______________________________________________________________________________

James Wesker entered the conference room with a very self-important smile plastered onto his face. He turned his head left and right to get a better look at everyone's doomed expressions. He glanced over at the minister's desk as he reached the center of the room and was pleased to see that there was a paper on it with her signature scribbled onto a dotted line. He looked all around him and saw that everyone had their papers signed and ready. James pressed his thumb against the projector's power-switch once again and waited for the image of Jack Lanyon to appear against the wall.

"I'm glad you all made the right decision," said James, "You won't regret it, I assure you."

"Oh, you are certainly right about that, Mr. Wesker," beamed Minister Thatcher, "I too believe we have _all_ made the smart choice."

He smiled at her and finally the video-feed of Jack Lanyon appeared on the wall behind him.

"Ah," smiled Jack, "It is good to see all of your smiling faces on this most auspicious of occasions."

"We're happy to see you too, Dr. Lanyon," greeted Andropov congenially, "We have finally come up with an outcome to these… what did you call them again?... '_Negotiations'_."

"Good, good," smiled Lanyon, "And I trust you all did the smart thing."

"Indeed we did," agreed Reagan.

"Good, Mr. Wesker, collect their signatures and show them to me."

James gave each of them a hatefully pleasant smile as he snatched up their papers in his hand, stopping by John's table and glancing at the body of Greg Fears.

"Where is his signature?" he said to John, gesturing to Greg's motionless corpse, "Oh… that's right… my mistake."

"Damn right it's your mistake," snarled John.

James seemed a little surprised that John was able to speak at all. "Ah…" he said, looking a little nervous, "I see you've learned to finally speak with the intelligence of a three year old. Well done, Withers, well done."

He continued down the line, collecting every signature and presenting it to Jack by holding it up in front of the camera.

"…Wesker… is this some kind of joke?" growled Jack over the projector.

"What do you mean by that, sir?"

"So you want me to take those papers and… 'shove it up' my ass?"

Wesker's face froze in terror as he flipped the signatures over so he could see them, his jaw dropping when he saw the sentence, _"I hereby state that, in light of recent events, Jack Lanyon should take this paper and shove it up his ass. Signed…."_

He read over that same line of text at least a hundred times until he was disturbed by the familiar sound of numerous guns being cocked. He dropped the papers, sending them crashing to the floor, and turned to see every single man and woman in that conference room pointing a gun at his direction, ready to blow him to oblivion.

"Those are the terms we agreed to," informed John who had his gun pointed straight for him, "Don't like them? Tough."

John was the first to pull down on his trigger, sending a plume of smoke rising from his gun as a bullet went speeding towards James and his goons. The others followed his example, unloading all the ammo they had onto Jack's henchmen until they became undistinguishable piles of flesh.

James was the only one left standing.

"W-why didn't you kill me!?" he cried, looking at all the disgusted faces that were glowering down at him, "What do you want from me!?"

John got up from his seat, slowly walking down the center aisle until he and James were only inches apart. He grabbed James by his hair, forcing him down on his knees. "I have a message from Greg Fears," snarled John, pulling back on the hairpin of his pistol as slowly as he could just to taunt him. He placed his weapon right in between his watery eyes.

"Burn in hell, you arrogant son of a bitch."

He pulled the trigger, sending a bullet flying right in between those cocky eyes of his. James fell over on his side with a thud, blood pouring out of his open head as John returned to his seat.

Jack's face went beet red as he stared at all of them through the video-feed. "You… idiots!!" roared Jack, his eye practically bulging out of his skull, "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS!! THIS ISN'T FAIR!! NOT FAIR! NOT FAIR! NOT FAIR!"

John was immediately reminded of a small, immature child who had just gotten his queen taken from him at a rather competitive game of chess. "I'LL MAKE YOU ALL PAY FOR THIS!!" he vowed, a single tear rolling from his eye, "YOUR WHOLE WORLD WILL BURN WHILE I'M SITTING PRETTY!! ALL OF YOU WILL DIE!! DIE! DIE! DIE! HA HA HA HA!!" He reared up his head in laughter, grabbing a fistful of his hair and practically ripping it out of his scalp as he rocked back and forth in his chair. If John didn't know any better, he would've said that the normally calm, cool, and collect Jack Lanyon had been replaced with an oversized 2nd grader with a nasty temper.

Jack Lanyon had now officially gone completely, and totally mad.

There was a sudden loud bang coming from Jack's end of the video feed and he quickly averted his gaze from the camera. "What the fuck was that!?" he demanded, "What's going on!?"

"There's somebody in the building sir! They're breaking through!"

Jack's eye widened with shock. He just couldn't seem to fathom how he had suddenly been beaten at his little "game" of world domination. "Sir, I think it's the Maebara kid and a few others. Dmitry is with them."

Jack cut his video feed with the U.N council and rose from his chair, furiously throwing it through the air in the process. "Are they outside!?" he bellowed, grabbing a shotgun from his desk and holding it with one hand.

"Yes, sir. But I locked them out," reported the soldier, "They can't get it even if Dmitry gives them the code."

Jack stopped by the central control panel and punched in a few numbers and hit enter which triggered all the lights in the building to change into a shade of fiery crimson.

"Open it," he ordered.

"…Sir?"

"I said open the fucking door!! God damn! When I hired you for this job didn't I specify one of the requirements is that you must understand English!?"

"I understand you fine, sir," assured the soldier irritably.

"Then open the bloody door!!" he pumped his shotgun with the heel of his shoes, "Open it now!"

The soldier looked puzzled but still obeyed his order, signaling for his men to prepare themselves for a gunfight.

The door slid open and Mion came storming in with a shotgun she had acquired from one of the soldiers they encountered on the way here. She promptly brought the barrel of her shotgun down onto a soldier's head, cracking his skull on contact, and then firing at another one who had his gun aimed at Satoshi.

Eric and Jack's eyes met and he stormed over towards him with his rifle primed to fire. But Jack was quick, he fired his shotgun straight at Eric's hand, forcing him to drop the gun immediately. He was about to retrieve his weapon when he heard Jack pump his shotgun again with his shoe, which was his cue to quickly roll out of the line of fire. Eric sprung forward after Jack shot his weapon, missing Eric by only a few millimeters. He effortlessly disarmed the one-armed man of his weapon and brought his knee up to Jack's groin. Jack cried in pain, tears leaking from his eye, and brought his foot across Eric's jaw, knocking him to the floor.

"I guess that old Oishi did teach you something after all," snickered Jack with an insane smile on his face, "But that works for me because _I killed Oishi_! HA HA HA!"

Eric's face contorted with anger at the mention of his dead mentor and father-figure, and he let out a roar of fury as he charged Jack head first, ramming his skull right into his stomach.

Meanwhile, Mion was busy venting her own hatred out on Jack's soldiers. Her shotgun had, unfortunately, been low on ammo to begin with and so after a few shots her gun was empty. But… it was still a very, very heavy gun.

She began practically dueling one of the soldiers using the butt of her gun until at last she saw his neck exposed and slammed it against his throat with all her strength, killing him instantly.

Satoshi leaped over her head, chasing down a cowering soldier with his sharp nails dragging against the floor. His eyes flashed red as he sunk his nails into the man's chest, growling at him until he stopped squirming.

Eric punched Jack in the face with all his strength, feeling his nose crack beneath his knuckles. Jack snarled at him and seized Eric by his shirt collar, tossing him across the floor, right in front of one of the enormous bug spray containers.

Jack grabbed his shotgun and pumped it again. "So you're the ring-leader, eh?" snickered Jack, bringing the gun to Eric's face, "You've taken up Oishi's mantel as the village guardian. Loved and respected by no one. Well." He gently guided Eric's chin upwards with the tip of his gun. "I would say you're about to meet a similar fate as him but… that wouldn't be entirely accurate. I can tell you're not going to beg… like he did…" lied Jack, earning him a loathing stare from Eric, "Yes, he begged. He practically crawled to my feet and begged for his life. He said he would give me anything… _anything_. It sickened me. I can't stand people like that. And so I did the world a favor and shot him until he fell from my window."

Eric sat there motionless, his back pressed firmly against the bug-spray container.

"I told you this would happen when I sent you that message over the PDTM," snickered Jack, "Tell me… how does it feel to know you're about to die?"

"I don't know," snarled Eric, "Why don't you tell me!?"

He grabbed the barrel of Jack's gun, directing it away from his head just before Jack pulled the trigger, creating a giant hole in the bug-spray container instead of his head.

The fumes of the bug spray slowly drifted upward, its gasses suffocating the tiny cicadas buzzing overhead and sending them crashing to the floor one-by-one until there were none left.

Eric grabbed Jack's head and jammed it up the hole he just made in the container, clogging up the outpour of bug spray.

"This is for Daichi!" roared Eric, holding Jack's screaming head under the green, thick bug-spray.

Jack's voice was garbled by the bug-spray that was constantly filling his mouth whenever he tried to speak. "I can breafth!" he cried, "Sthtop!"

"And for Oishi!" cried Eric, "And all those people you had killed on the plane!—For everybody you've ever hurt!! Tell me, Jack! How does it feel to die as the most hated man in the world!?"

Jack screamed and thrashed as he struggled to get his head loose from the container but Eric held him firmly in place until at last he stopped moving. Eric left him there, with his head still being drenched in gallons and gallons of bug-spray.

Eric turned to his companions and noticed that all the soldiers had been defeated. Dmitry was currently setting up the bomb to the central control panel that controlled the siren towers. "How much time do we have left?" asked Dmitry. Eric glanced at his watch. "We have an hour," he replied.

"Are you sure?" double-checked the young man, "Because once I set the countdown on this thing I can't change it."

"I'm sure," he assured.

Dmitry nodded and set the master bomb to go off in forty-five minutes. "That'll give us plenty of time to get out of here," he announced, "We need to hurry."

"Did you kill Jack?" asked Mion.

"Yes," answered Eric, "Let's just get the hell out of here while we still have time."

And with one last quick glance at Jack's motionless body, Dmitry entered the code on the terminal to open the door. When they exited, Ryuu stopped once more to look through the large sheet of glass at the destruction they had left in their wake when he noticed something.

"Hey Dmitry," he called, "What's that thing above the _Homine-Optimes_ skeleton?"

Dmitry walked up next to him, squinting his eyes to see what Ryuu was pointing to.

Dmitry dropped his gun in shock. "T-that's the countdown clock Jack set…" he stammered, "Once it hits zero… _Echo_ will start playing…"

"And you set the bomb for 45 minutes?"

Dmitry nodded his head in affirmation.

"Then why does Jack's timer say 30 minutes and not 1 hour?"

Eric and the others swerved around and gathered around the window in alarm.

"What!?" cried Eric, "B-but I was keeping time! We should have an hour!!"

"I think I saw Jack do something before he opened the door for us…" stated Rena, "…it looked like he was doing something on that keyboard over there."

"Damn him!" cursed Dmitry, "He must have reset the time! Now _Echo's_ gonna go off fifteen minutes before the bomb does!!"

Ryuu had an idea…

Without any warning, Ryuu sprinted back into the main lab, grabbed a pistol from the floor, and shot the control terminal, causing the door to slam shut behind him instantly. Nobody noticed Ryuu had run back inside the lab until it was too late.

"Ryuu!" cried Keiichi, "What are you doing!?"

Ryuu walked over to his end of the window and faced them. "Somebody's got to do it, Keiichi!" he yelled, "I figured it might as well be me!"

"What are you talking about, Ru-kun!?" cried Rena.

"I can manually activate the master-bomb from inside!" explained Ryuu.

He was immediately barraged with confused cries from his friends.

"Don't be an idiot Ryuu! We can figure someway to activate the bomb without any of having to die!!" yelled his brother, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Then tell me one, Keiichi! Tell me one so I can get the hell out of here and escape with you guys!"

Keiichi said nothing.

"This is the only way we can still save the village! I have to do this!"

"No Ru-kun!" cried Rena, pressing both hands against the glass barrier separating them, "Please don't do this!!"

Ryuu smiled affectionately at her. "Rena listen to me…"

Rena shook her head side-to-side, sending her tears sprinkling from her face. "No Ryuu, you listen to me!" sobbed Rena, staring at him with her shimmering topaz eyes, "You promised me you would meet me again if we got separated! You promised Rena!"

Everyone but the two of them fell morbidly silent.

"Rena wanted Ryuu to come and be with her forever after all this bad stuff was over!" she wailed, pressing her forehead to the glass as she let her tears trickle from the tip of her nose, "But now…" She shivered as she tried to finish her sentence.

Ryuu pressed his forehead to the glass window so that the two of them were eye to eye and he smiled at her. Rena avoided his gaze at first but in the end she decided she wanted to stare at him as much as possible before they were separated forever. "Rena…" he said to her softly from behind the dividing sheet of glass, "…When this is over… please just forget about me, okay?"

Rena gave him a baffled stare, causing more tears to well up in her eyes. "W-why?"

"I want you to go on living like you did before you met me," said Ryuu, staring at her with a sort of sorrowful fondness in his one remaining eye, "The day I met you, you were the happiest girl I knew. I think that's what I like most about you. When I met you… _I_ was probably the most miserable person in the world but after I saw how happy you were after all you've been through… after all the death you've had to endure… I thought there could be hope for me. But I don't want that happy girl I knew to live out the rest of her life in misery just because of me."

"But Ru-kun…" she whimpered, "Rena can't be happy without you. Rena is happiest when she's around Ru-kun. Please don't go…"

He smiled lovingly at her, longing to touch her just one more time before they said their final goodbye. But alas, the thick sheet of glass that separated the two of them would not permit that. Words would have to suffice…

"You guys have to go," he said, standing upright as he glanced back at Jack's timer, "You only have 25 minutes."

Nobody moved.

"Are you all deaf!!" he barked, fighting back a powerful wave of tears welling up in his eye, "Go now!"

That was enough to get everyone moving again. Everybody except for Rena and Keiichi.

"Hey, Ryuu," said his brother, "For what its worth, you made a pretty good brother."

Keiichi smiled at him. "I hope your career as a police-officer works out," he teased, thinking back to the first time they had met, that evening so long ago on Mion's 17th birthday under the street-light, "Like I said before, you'd make a great cop."

Keiichi tried to summon something more than just a grin but he couldn't.

"You guys need to get going," he said, "Please…"

"No!" cried Rena, "I'm not leaving without Ru-kun!!"

"Keiichi… please grab her…"

Keiichi wrapped both his arms around Rena's waist, forcibly removing her from the window that separated Ryuu from the others. "Ru-kun!" she cried as Keiichi struggled to keep his hold on her, "Ru-kun please don't leave!"

All he could do was smile and wave goodbye as his friends began to disappear down the hall, engulfed by the red floodlights that shone overhead.

Ryuu maintained his false smile until at last he could not see the faces of his friends anymore. He turned and faced the massive control panel that the master-bomb was fastened so securely to. There before him was his destiny and all he could do was slowly walk up to the ticking time bomb and give his friends enough time to escape before he pulled the little red plug and activated the bomb, destroying himself along with the skeletal remains of the _Homine-Optimes _that had caused so much trouble.

It was then Ryuu heard something… something moving in the room around him. He stood upright, his eyes darting from place to place as he heard a scratchy sound scurrying across the room with incredible speed.

Ryuu's eyes came to rest upon the broken bug-spray container that Eric had drowned Jack in and noticed that Jack Lanyon was no longer there. Ryuu cautiously approached the massive container and saw fresh scratch marks that had been left around the hole Jack made with his shotgun. And on the floor, he saw Jack's eye patch sitting all by itself with no owner, damp from all the bug-spray.

"Ryuu…" snarled a gravelly voice that echoed throughout the entire room, "…Guess who…"

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Congratulations, you just 34 pages worth of text. Bravo, bravo! Yes, that was a _long _chapter. And guess what happens now? Epic cliffhanger. Oh yes, and do you know what makes it even more epic? I may not be able to update for a very, very long time (2 weeks at the most) cuz I'm going on vacation… even though I don't really want to cuz its with my distant relatives who hate me for a multitude of reasons but I have to go because there's a beach… and beaches are spectacular. So for me, that's long… especially since I _really_ want to finish this. Really, really badly. But I am bringing my laptop so I may be able to upload ch. 29 within… eventually.

I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations. I thought it was super epic! But that's just my opinion and of course and that doesn't count for much… *sob* So leave me your opinion about this chapter because they give me enormous confidence boosts and it helps make me more awesome.

(Ha, ha Shashuko, I _did not_ kill off Satoshi! I hope that makes you happy :D)

Also… I finally got to 100 reviews (So long, double-digit numbers!). Thank you to all the awesome people who made that dream of mine come true.


	30. Chapter 29: Redemption

Chapter 29: Redemption

Ryuu could hear Jack's quickening breaths circling around him—making his joints lock up with fear. There was something about his breathing that seemed unnatural... something that sounded almost animal-like. Suddenly, a two-legged figure emerged from behind the control tower where the master-bomb was placed. Ryuu immediately recognized the one-armed man as Jack Lanyon, the arrogant fool who had caused this whole thing. He was almost completely naked save for a pair of ripped pants he had been wearing earlier. Ryuu couldn't help but give him a sideways glance when he noticed the large tattoo of a pentagram engraved into Jack's chest. He also looked quite different without his usual black eye-patch covering his left eye. Now, all Ryuu saw in its place was an empty hole where his eye should be, making his face look just like Ryuu's. They both had scars stretching diagonally along their faces, cutting across their left eye.

Jack's arrogant smile had all but evaporated from his face. Instead, he was sporting an insane smirk that stretched wide from either side of his face. His one eye quivered manically as he focused on Ryuu. He looked excited about something… which did not bode well for Ryuu.

Their gazes locked and the only sound audible in the room was the dreadful electronic ticking of the timer looming above the _Homine-Optimes_'s chamber.

Suddenly, Ryuu's head was filled with a blinding pain that made his eyes water and his teeth grind and gnash together as he tried to hold back a tortured scream. Jack felt it too, but instead of displaying signs of suffering, his smile only widened. Ryuu saw Jack's one good eye slowly change to a hue of blood red as his normally pearly white teeth began falling from his gums and sharp, jagged ones took their place. It was then Ryuu saw the dead carcasses of the cicadas littered all around him. He knew what was happening to him and Jack. They were both transforming…

Ryuu fell to his knees and looked at his hands, watching as his fingernails began to narrow down and become claws. He looked away and shook his head. _"NO!" _he roared mentally,_ "I can't lose! I have to fight it! If I change… no one will be here to activate the bomb. I have to fight it!"_

But no matter how hard he protested in his head, his body began morphing nevertheless. And soon, the pain became too much for him and he fell face forward and everything went black.

Keiichi struggled with a squirming Rena, doing his best to keep up with the group as they fled from the main-lab.

"Ryuu!" she yelled, "Ru-kun!"

"Who was that!?" yelled a voice from down the corridor, "There's someone down here!"

They heard the familiar cocking of guns as more soldiers appeared from around the corner. Rena's eyes flashed in anger when she saw them running towards them and she finally wrenched herself from Keiichi's grasp. With her cleaver held tight and fiery hot tears welling up in her normally soft eyes, Rena charged them, no longer caring what happened to her. The men seemed unable to fire at her as hurled herself at them and Rena quickly recognized a glint of fear in their eyes. But she showed no mercy. She ran her cleaver through a man's chest and used him as a protective shield as she charged the other men. Keiichi joined the fight with equal ferocity, beating down his enemies with the barrel of his gun and shooting anyone who looked as if they were about to retreat. Finally, none were left standing.

Rena panted heavily as she looked down upon her slaughtered foes with tears rolling down her soft cheeks. "We need to go!" cried Eric when it looked like no one was about to move, "Forget about them and let's move!" Rena tore herself away from her kills with some reluctance, now following the group freely without Keiichi having to force her.

Suddenly, a shrill screaming echoed off the walls of the corridor as they passed by the staircase leading to Shion's cell. Satoshi stopped, his purple eyes looking lost and distant again as he stared at the staircase. The other's halted when they noticed Satoshi was no longer following them.

"Satoshi!" cried Keiichi, "We don't have time!"

"But I think I know how we could get her out!" argued the blonde boy.

"Satoshi! This whole place is going to be coming down in less than a half-hour! We don't have time to—"

Satoshi disregarded Keiichi's protests and darted up the staircase with a determined look in his eyes.

"Satoshi wait!" cried Mion, "I'm coming too!"

Keiichi opened his mouth to object but Mion was already out of earshot before he could say anything. He looked at Rena and the others with a hopeless frown and motioned for them to follow him back up the stairs to join the other's at Shion's cell.

______________________________________________________________________________

Ryuu blinked and opened his eyes. He stood alone in the middle of… nothing. He was quite literally completely without any people or any other forms of matter to object. He sat up, surprised to hear the sound of his own breath echoing in the distance. "Hello!" he cried out. His only response came from his echo. It was then Ryuu noticed he could see out of both eyes once again. He ran his fingers across his face and could not detect any trace of the scar Satoshi had left him.

"_Is this… heaven?"_

"Not heaven, no…" answered a voice that seemed to come out from nowhere.

Ryuu shot up, his heart racing. "Who's there!?" he yelped.

"You…" answered the voice.

He saw someone walking towards him from out in the distance, slowly approaching him with his hands stowed away in the pockets of his black dress pants that he wore with a formal tuxedo jacket and black tie. Ryuu finally got a good look at the man's face and he felt his knees buckle when he saw that it was _his_ own face staring back at him. It was like looking in a mirror. The man's face was completely identical to his own except for one distinguishable feature… his glistening red eyes that struck cold fear into his heart.

The man smiled at him maliciously. "Hello…" he greeted briskly, "I am Ryuu Maebara."

Ryuu gave him a sideways look. "No…" he said, "_I'm _Ryuu Maebara."

"No," negated the other man confidently, _"I am_ Ryuu Maebara."

Ryuu regarded him with hostility, suddenly feeling very threatened by this man.

"Then… if I'm not Ryuu Maebara then who am I?"

"A lie…" answered the other Ryuu, "You are a figment of my imagination. I am the true Ryuu Maebara. You are simply a made up identity I created in a mess of confusion many years ago. _This_…" He gestured to his blazing red eyes. "Is who I really am!"

Ryuu shook his head. "I am not you!" he barked, "I know who you are! You're that damned voice! That voice that used to tell me what to do!"

The man laughed coldly at him. "Come," he said, "Let me show you something…"

He snapped his fingers and the scenery around them suddenly changed as if it were being drawn up by an artist in a sketch-book. He was now standing in a cell… a cell with a very sad looking grey eyed boy chained to the floor like some rabid dog. He was staring up at a green haired girl with tears in his eyes.

"Please Mion!" begged the younger Ryuu, looking up at Mion's turquoise eyes, "You have to remember me! I'm sorry!"

"How does he know my name!?" yelped Mion in terror, "I… I swear I don't know him!"

"Mion please, you have to remember me!" sobbed Ryuu, "Don't forget me! I don't want to be forgotten here!"

Mion quickly hid behind the figure of Jack Lanyon who still bearing both of his eyes and both of his arms. "Tsk, tsk, tsk 'M'," admonished Jack, "How dare you scare this poor girl like that… as if you hadn't already done enough."

"Mion…" whimpered the real Ryuu, watching helplessly as his past self sobbed uncontrollably into his hands while they led the green haired girl away.

"You remember this day, don't you?" soothed the other Ryuu, staring at him with his red eyes, "You remember the pain… the remorse. They promised to release you if Mion could remember your name, is that correct?"

Ryuu said nothing, which was enough of an affirmation for the red-eyed Ryuu.

"Do you honestly think people like her and Jack deserve to live?" queried the man, "All humans are like this. From the beginning of time, man has betrayed each other and hunted down its fellow races to near extinction. For example…" He snapped his fingers and suddenly Ryuu was standing amidst a battle field where gallant looking knights on horses were galloping through a large town constructed entirely of mud-brick houses, slaughtering innocent villagers left and right. These knights wore red crosses on their shields and on their banners which immediately told Ryuu he was standing in Jerusalem… beholding the true terror of the Crusades.

"A war launched for the sake of God," scoffed the other Ryuu in disgust, "Blood spilt on Holy Ground. Children slaughtered in the name of the Lord. Towns 'purged' for the right held by God's people. Women raped as spoils of war and thousands of men abandoning their families for eternal salvation… Does that sound like the humanity God intended?"

Ryuu said nothing.

The man snapped his fingers again and the scenery changed only this time it was not to a battlefield but it could have very well passed off for one judging by all the tortured screams he heard. He saw bodies… countless bodies piled as high as a small hill as family and friends walked under its shadow with tears in their eyes, hauling heavy loads on their backs.

"W-what is this…" gasped Ryuu in horror.

"Germany," smiled the other Ryuu, "1940s, countless men and women were slaughtered for their religion because a certain man named Adolf Hitler wanted his people to think he was doing something to stop of his nation's poverty."

The scenery changed again only this time they stood in the middle of a harbor. "Where are we now?"

"Pearl Harbor, 1941," he answered as a row of explosions detonated around them, destroying anything in their wake, "Just one attack among the many war-crimes that occurred during this particular war. And now that that bloody struggle has finally come to an end…"

He snapped his fingers again, this time taking Ryuu to a small living room where a family sat huddled together in a corner.

"A new war has begun," continued the other Ryuu, "This family has been claimed by the fear that only war can spawn and this war has the power to destroy the entire world with nuclear weapons and such. Isn't it incredible how two nations—former allies in such a terrible war—could turn on one another so soon?"

Ryuu made no comment. In the back of his head he was agreeing with him. He made sense.

"Don't you see what I am now, Ryuu?" beseeched the man, "I am all that you desire to be! A means to stop humanity in its tracks before their crimes escalate to a whole new level! Together, we can erase the sins of man forever by removing them from the face of the earth!" He snapped his fingers again, and Ryuu suddenly saw a plane flying through the air, crashing through two enormous buildings that towered over everything around it. "And we can stop man from causing even more suffering and hate! But…" The scenery changed again, this time to a more simple set of surroundings consisting solely of a large mirror. "…only if you'll let me."

Ryuu stared at his reflection and was surprised to see that his own eyes were no longer their normal shade of stormy gray. They were now an electric blue color that seemed to give off a certain comforting radiation. Ryuu looked back at his other self, locking his new blue eyes with his red ones.

"I am what you truly are, Ryuu," whispered the other man, "Stop fighting me and start fighting with me. You know as well as I do that the world is broken. Well… you should considering we are the same person. We can fix it though! This is what you were destined for! You were designed for this purpose!"

Ryuu said nothing for a while, glancing from the pair of red eyes to the blue eyes staring back at him from his reflection. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak. "Tell me what you see here," he said, motioning to the mirror.

His other self scowled at him. "How is this relevant?"

"Just answer my question," insisted Ryuu calmly, "What am I pointing at?"

"A mirror," answered the other Ryuu with an impatient shrug.

"What do mirrors show?"

"Reflections."

Ryuu smiled happily. "Good," he said, looking back at his the image displayed in the mirror, "So this mirror shows who I am. If I was really the person you said I was… I don't think I could look myself in the mirror. I know that the world is messed up. I of all people should know that. But when you think about it… maybe the world isn't as nasty as people say. There are plenty of amazing people in this world; we just romanticize the bad ones."

His reflection smiled at him, his blue eyes shimmering with pride.

His red-eyed self however, did not seem so proud. "Can't you see what you're doing!?" barked his other self, "You're arguing with yourself! I am you!"

"No!" snapped Ryuu, "No, you're not… You're the person who got me landed in an asylum for four years because _he_ killed all those people at the cinema._ You're_ the person who murdered my guardians—the people who I thought were my mother and father! You are the person who killed four-hundred people in a desperate attempt to escape!! _Not me!_ You hurt Mion! _Not me!_ You're a murderer!" accused Ryuu, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he caught his breath, "…not… me."

The red-eyed Ryuu shrunk under his ferocious rant.

"Now get out…" snarled Ryuu, "I've told you once before… I shall not do so again… this is my mind now and I think you've been trashing it for too long. You are hereby evicted."

The red-eyed Ryuu shook his head in disbelief. "No!" he barked.

"Out!" shouted Ryuu.

"Make me!" roared his other self arrogantly.

Ryuu smiled at him. "If you insist." He snapped his fingers and suddenly the red-eyed Ryuu vanished into a plume of smoke as he slowly dissipated into the air with a defeated scream. Ryuu suddenly felt… different… as if an enormous weight that had been dragging him into the ground for years had suddenly been lifted from his shoulders. He felt so light he was almost sure he could have leaped into the air right then and there and flew away.

"So…" began Ryuu, turning to his reflection, "Is this heaven?"

"No, not heaven," answered his reflection, "Just another fork in the road."

______________________________________________________________________________

Ryuu blinked awake, opening his eyes to the red-lit room around him once again. With one quick glance at the time-bomb strapped to the control tower he knew he had returned to reality. He rubbed his head, feeling crestfallen to discover that his left-eye was still blinded, as he tried to remember what had happened. He had seen Jack… and then he felt himself changing…

He glanced back down at his hands, relieved to see ten fingers with completely flat, dull fingernails on each one. Ryuu glanced at his reflection in the shiny steel plating that reinforced the control tower and saw that he had not acquired any demon-like features on any part of his body. But he did notice that his one remaining eye was now a brilliant shade of electric blue…

"_I can hear Echo coming out from the skeleton…"_ observed Ryuu internally, _"So… why haven't I changed?"_

He heard something stir around him and he spun around to see a metal keg fall over on its side as a dark figure swished past it in the blink of an eye. Ryuu felt his heart pounding in his chest and he spun around again when he heard another metallic clink coming from behind him. There was no way that was Jack… nothing could move from one end of this room to the other in under three seconds!

Suddenly, there was a loud clashing sound from overhead and Ryuu looked up just in time to see a naked, pale creature clinging to the ceiling. The creature was disgusting in every sense of the word. Two black horns were jetting from his forehead. It had five limbs… five very long and spindly looking limbs. Two limbs arched from the creature's back and instead of being tipped with five fingers it had two very sharp, curved appendages that dug into the ceiling like scimitars, holding the beast in place. Below those two limbs was another limb that looked more like a human arm with jagged fingers. However, the creature seemed to possess only one of these limbs. And finally, the creature also had two skinny legs that were also digging into the ceiling. Ryuu gasped when the thing looked down at him and opened its mouth wide, roaring at him. He saw that the creature only had one red eye… there was simply a hole were its other eye should have been.

"Jack?" gasped Ryuu.

The transformed Jack Lanyon suddenly drove the tip of his sharp appendage into one of the red flood-lights, causing Jack to be swallowed up by the shroud of darkness and sending a shower of sparks raining down upon Ryuu. He prepared himself as he heard the swift scurrying of the creature's five limbs make its way across the ceiling and Ryuu could just barely see it scamper down the side of the wall that was still lit by the remaining flood-lights, getting closer to him. Ryuu had no choice but to run for his life when he heard it approaching him. He leaped down from the railing and landed on the floor, his eyes frantically scanning for a place to run. He soon saw an empty archway in the wall that led into a dimly lit corridor with a high ceiling. He quickly debated in his head whether or not he should enter the corridor but he was given little choice when he saw Jack scattering towards him, using his two sharper appendages to swiftly carry him to Ryuu's location. He dashed into the corridor, his body being propelled by fear, and for a moment he thought he lost Jack but that brief second of relief was disrupted by the sound of Jack's scythe like appendages pierce through the ceiling. Ryuu dared himself to look back and saw Jack scurrying across the ceiling using his newly acquired limbs with his head hanging upside down as he examined his prey. Suddenly Jack's head twisted around in a full circle so it was now upright. He was gaining on him! Ryuu quickly decided to make a ploy and spun around in the corridor, diving right under Jack Lanyon with awe-striking dexterity and sprinting out of the corridor.

Ryuu was pleased to see that this transformed version of Jack Lanyon was having a hard time turning around, giving Ryuu a good head-start before the chase resumed. He darted out from the corridor, not stopping as he glanced up at the ticking time clock Jack had set.

"Only fifteen minutes left!" yelped Ryuu, "I have to hold him off a bit longer until I can activate the bomb!" Ryuu smiled as he found a silver lining in this whole situation. "At least I'll be taking Lanyon down with me!"

Jack Lanyon, however, did not like the sound of that. He sprung out from nowhere with a blood-curdling roar and rammed his head right into Ryuu's waist, shattering a few of his ribs in the process.

Ryuu screamed in pain as his body skidded across the floor, unraveling his bandaged waist and rubbing his skin raw, causing Ryuu to leave a long streak of blood as he continued to slide across the floor.

______________________________________________________________________________

The six of them stood outside Shion's cell with the clock ticking.

"Fourteen minutes!" warned Eric, "C'mon guys! Hurry up!"

"We're ready!" assured Satoshi, who was standing across from Keiichi with a chain held in each of their hands. The two of them were standing right in front of the sheet of metal that separated Shion from the rest of them. The chain the two boys held in their hands sagged down in the middle from all the slack as Satoshi moved forward to open the metal seal.

_Click!_

The iron sheet slid open, revealing the feral looking Shion on the other side. She leaped forward out of the now open window. Keiichi and Satoshi had to act quickly. They each pulled back on their side of the chain, causing it to tighten up and spring up from the ground as Shion was just about to land. She collided with the chain, stopping her in midair and the two boys quickly dashed around her in a circle, binding her tightly with the steel chain. She thrashed and shrieked in protest when she felt the chains constricting her, rendering her motionless.

"I can't believe it worked!" exclaimed Dmitry.

"Let's just hope the chain holds," said Eric, "C'mon. Grab her and let's go!"

Mion brushed past Keiichi and grabbed her sister by her legs while Satoshi hoisted her up by her shoulders and followed the group back down the staircase.

______________________________________________________________________________

Ryuu fell to his knees and bent backwards to avoid a would-be lethal swipe from Jack's scythe like appendages. He rolled out of the way just as Jack stabbed downward again with his sharp limb, sending sparks flying in all directions as it collided with the floor with a metallic cling. Ryuu kept running, glancing again at the timer to see only a few minutes had gone by since he last checked the clock. They now had ten minutes to escape. Ryuu sincerely hoped they were out by now or at least getting close to the exit because he didn't know how much longer he could hold this thing off.

The creature swiped at Ryuu's leg, cutting across his left calf, tearing apart his muscle tissue and sending a stream of blood gushing from his wound. He was instantly crippled by the staggering pain and fell to his knees. Big mistake…

First, Ryuu saw a bright flash of light followed by a pain in his shoulder that was so intense that he could have sworn his heart stopped beating for at least ten whole seconds. He looked down to see Jack's razor sharp scythe-like appendage poking out from the front of his shoulder. He was surprised to find he could still move his arm but that still didn't do him any good as he felt Jack's human hand grab him by the back of his throat and hoist him upwards. Ryuu gasped and sputtered for air as hi long fingers dug into the front of his neck, constricting his airway. Jack ripped his razor sharp arm from out of his shoulder, which hurt almost as much as when he had stabbed it, and threw him across the room with so much force that he didn't touch the ground until he collided with the enormous glass window face first, sending him crashing down to the floor with a thud. A bitter taste flooded Ryuu's mouth as blood began spilling from either side of his lips. He glanced up at the timer… "Five… minutes…" he wheezed.

He slowly began to stand, despite the sharp pains that plagued him in every inch of his bruised and beaten body. He took one step forward before being slammed back against the wall again, this time with enough force to create a small crack in the glass window. Jack pierced his shoulder again, this time however Ryuu could not even summon the strength to scream in the pain that suddenly erupted in his shoulder. Jack twisted his sharp appendage around in Ryuu's muscle tissue, shaving away at his flesh and his bone with each sadistic twisting motion. Ryuu tried to struggle and free himself but all he was able to do was turn his body around enough so he was facing the window again, staring bleakly at his foggy reflection. Ryuu winced as Jack's arm pierced him again, this time slashing him in the back with the tip of his sharp limb, causing him to lean forward with both hands pressed against the glass window to keep himself from collapsing.

"_Ru-kun…"_

Ryuu was startled by the soft voice that whispered in his ear.

"_Ru-kun…"_

Ryuu gazed through the window again and could have sworn he saw Rena standing on the other side but quickly realized it was merely his own reflection.

"Rena…" whispered Ryuu.

He could not blame his mind for suddenly drifting off… wandering through some of Ryuu's happier memories to try and take his mind off the pain.

He thought of the first time he met Rena… on his first day of back at school when she gave him the pet-name, "Ru-kun."

He thought of the time he met all of his great friends and couldn't help but smile when he witnessed one of Satoko's amazing traps for the first time.

He remembered holding an umbrella over his brother's head as he escorted Mion home in the rain, cradling her in his arms like a newlywed couple.

He remembered playing countless games with his friends. Everything from freeze-tag, from water balloons, to zombie-tag, and to old-geezer… a game he had never quite gotten the hang of.

He remembered the festival he went to with Rena and thought of the ridiculous looking Kimono he had borrowed from his father… the one with the lion-flower thing sewed onto it. He also remembered eating hot peppers with Mion that day and nearly dying from the sheer pain that followed soon afterward.

He remembered when Rena came and consoled him after his parents died. He remembered the promise he made her that day.

"_I'm gonna get you that doll if it's the last thing I do!"_

Everything he had planned… all of the trivial things he had meant to do with his future such as finally getting that doll for Rena… all of that was being taken away. He had always wanted to co-devise a trap with Satoko to torment Keiichi with. And he had always wanted to have Mion get the punishment game of her life before she graduated this year. It wasn't the big things in life he was going to miss… he was going to miss all of the little things he would never get to do now.

And all because of the man standing behind him…

_Thump-thump_ went his heart, beating like a war-drum in his chest. _Thump-thump!_

Ryuu did not wince as Jack removed his sharp arm from his shoulder and continued to rip apart the meat of his back with them. Pain was no longer an issue. Ryuu simply turned and faced him and was instantly greeted by a swift pain in his other shoulder as Jack's scimitar of an arm ran through it like a drill through butter. But much to Jack's surprise…. Ryuu would not let him remove his arm from his shoulder. He grabbed it with two hands and mustered every ounce of strength he had left in him to make one single step forward.

"Kyaaaaa!" he roared as he made another step forward, slamming his foot down on the ground firmly as if he were beating a drum with it. "Hiyaaaa!" He took another thundering step forward towards the control tower and the bomb.

It no longer felt like Ryuu was losing strength, rather it seemed like he was gaining it. He could have sworn he saw someone standing next to him, an old man with a black shirt and red suspenders, a cigarette held in between his teeth. The old man lent him his strength, allowing Ryuu to make two steps forward at a time rather than just one. Suddenly, Ryuu felt another presence. He felt his mother and his father standing on either side of him, pushing along with him as they approached the control tower.

Jack roared in protest and began pushing back against Ryuu, snapping his jaws out at him with a ravenous look in his eye.

"HIYAAAAAH!!" roared Ryuu again, his voice echoing so that it sounded as though others were crying out with him. Ryuu continued to push Jack closer to the control tower, beads of sweat falling from his face.

Another presence filled the room, one of a young man who stood by Oishi as they continued the push against Jack. Oishi looked at the young man and smiled at him proudly as a father smiles upon his son.

Countless more of these strange apparitions began to line up along with Ryuu, pushing with him towards the master-bomb. He could of sworn he saw Oryo join the specters, along with the bespectacled man Ryuu used to run the Irie clinic. Whether or not the spirits around him were actually ghosts or just figments of his imagination did not matter to him. The memory of the people Jack had hurt gave him the determination and the drive to carry on… just….. a little…….. longer.

Ryuu let out a battle-cry as he slammed Jack into the tower with a loud crash. Finally, Jack got the strength to remove his arm from inside Ryuu's shoulder and he quickly knocked Ryuu to the ground, leaping on top of him and pinning him to the ground with his sharp appendages.

Only one minute left…

Ryuu reached for the master-bomb and was able to free it from the control tower and pulled it in close to him. Jack saw the bomb and noticed Ryuu's hand resting on the little red clip. He raised his arm high in the air and brought it down on Ryuu's wrist, severing his hand from the rest of his body instantly.

Ryuu shouted in pain when he felt his hand leave the rest of his arm. He shook his head in torment. He tried to move his left hand, trying to see if it really had been disconnected from his body but sure enough… he discovered he no longer had a left hand to move.

Ryuu tried to reach for the clip with his other hand but he just couldn't, his muscles didn't want to move. It seemed fatigue was starting to catch up with him. He felt like he had just ran twelve miles in the middle of the hottest day of the year! He just wanted to lay down and rest. Every time he tried to get his arm to move around to reach the plug all he could get it to do was twitch. He could see the clock from where he was laying.

30 seconds!!

Ryuu tried to move again but it still proved to be futile. All he wanted to do was sleep now. His body was so tired…

But then, over Jack's shoulder, he saw—for one fraction of a second—a group of eight people staring at him. He could of sworn he saw Keiichi, Shion, Satoshi Mion, Satoko, Rika and Hanyuu all looking at him with encouraging smiles. Those were the people he was fighting to protect. The people who had accepted him and protected him since he had returned to the village.

10 seconds.

Ryuu's blue eye finally locked with Jack's blood red eye with a driven intensity…

7

…Ryuu forced his good hand to ball up into a fist and swing upwards, colliding across Jack's jaw…

5

…his hand fell upon the small red clip…

2

…he wrapped his fingers around the clip and braced himself…

1

…he pulled…

______________________________________________________________________________

"Hurry!" yelled Eric as Mion and Satoshi were busy trying to hoist Shion's body out from the hidden entrance of the sewers that led into Jack's base, "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

They heard the ear-splitting boom echo in the tunnels below them.

Eric bent down and scooped a still thrashing Shion out from the hole while Dmitry and Keiichi helped the other two out.

Rena quivered when she heard another explosion go off below them.

"Ryuu!!!!!" she cried.

Dmitry grabbed her and ran, hastily leading the others out of the station. The floor began to collapse behind them as the hidden structure beneath them was quickly destroyed by thunderous explosion after thunderous explosion.

They escaped from the station's front door just in time as the entire police station suddenly erupted in a fiery blast. Shards of glass and wooden splinters zipped past them in every direction, shredding their clothes and cutting their skin. Dmitry suddenly collapsed face forward as a large glass shard ripped through his jugular vein, causing Rena to fall to the ground with him.

"Rena!" cried Keiichi as he ran back and helped her up.

Just as Rena stood up again, the explosion finally stopped, leaving a burning pile of debris in its wake. She looked back at what was left of the station with tears in her eyes. "Ru-kun…" she whimpered.

Suddenly, the group saw Akasaka emerge from the cover of the trees, followed by Rika, then Satoko, and then old man Hiroaki and his men. Eventually, all the remaining villagers emerged from the woods with awe-struck expressions plastered on their faces. Rena grimaced. Something weird just happened to her… she felt like something had just been removed from her brain. She felt an enormous weight being lifted from her shoulders. She suddenly felt like she had been cured of an illness she didn't even know she had. Every villager around her was experiencing this same odd sensation of relief as _Echo_ was finally destroyed amidst the series of explosions that just occurred below. It was a testament to their victory.

Everyone erupted in a chorus of cheers, raising their fists into the air and throwing down their weapons. They had been freed! The curse of the Hinamizawa Syndrome was broken at last! Their village could, for the first time since its creation, live without having to fear its own villagers.

Satoshi fell to his knees and his face contorted with pain as his jagged, sharp teeth were suddenly pushed out of his gums by a row of rather flat and perfectly straight teeth that took their place. He saw color return to his once pale skin and felt the two tiny bulges in his head suddenly flatten out back to normal. He looked at his hands and saw his fingers shrinking back to their normal size once more.

He heard a coughing noise coming from his left and turned to see Shion squirming in her chains, her horns slowly vanishing into her skull as her skin began to loosen up, giving back her full looking face and curvy figure. Her eyes slowly began to return to their normal turquoise color and lastly was her fingers which, like Satoshi's, shrunk back to their normal size in seconds. Shion's open eyes closed shut and her head lulled off on its side.

"Shion!" he yelped, expecting the worst as he ran to her side and began undoing the chains wrapped around her waist, "Shion! Shion! It's me! It's Satoshi!"

Shion blinked slowly, her eyes still half-open as she looked at the people standing around her. "W-wha… Satoshi?" Her eyes suddenly flew wide opened. "Satoshi!!" She pounced him before he knew it, lowering her head so she could kiss him passionately on the lips like she had been longing to do since the very day she met him. "Satoshi-kun, Satoshi-kun, Satoshi-kun…" she sobbed after she broke off the kiss. "Satoshi… I love you so much… Satoshi-kun…" Before he could offer a reply, she kissed him on the mouth again, this time in a much softer way.

Akasaka met with Eric and the others, beaming at them with a proud smile.

"Eric!" he boomed, pulling the man in for a tight hug, "Oh God… we owe you so much… all of you did a great thing…"

All Eric could do was offer a flickering smile before staring at his feet again, a sorrowful look in his eye.

Akasaka shot him a quizzical look. "What the hell is the matter with you?" he said jokingly, "You do know you just saved the world right?"

Eric looked back at his companions and then at Akasaka. "Do a head count," he advised.

Akasaka's smile faded instantly at his words. "What happened?" he demanded.

Eric couldn't answer.

Akasaka counted heads. 1 for Keiichi, 2 for Rena, 3 for Mion, 4 for Eric, 5 for Shion, and 6 for Satoshi. Well, that seemed about right to him. Six went in and six came out.

But then he realized that the last two people he counted were not among the original group. He did another quick recount, this time he was able to spot Dmitry's body sprawled motionless in the grass. But that still meant one person was missing.

"Ryuu…" gasped Akasaka.

It seemed as though the entire village had heard him because as soon as he spoke his name everything went quiet, not even the cicadas could be heard in this dead-silence. "What happened?"

"It was my fault…" sobbed Eric, "I told Dmitry the wrong time… If I had just double-checked Ryuu wouldn't have had to…"

He cursed himself loudly, collapsing to his knees and pulling at his hair.

Akasaka gave Keiichi a quizzical look.

"He stayed behind…" answered Keiichi, "We set time bombs but something went wrong. Ryuu volunteered to stay behind to detonate them."

Nobody spoke… nobody even breathed. Everyone had gotten to know Ryuu in the past few days. Most of them knew him as a traitor to the village thanks to Oryo Sonozaki. All of them had come to know the murders Ryuu had committed. Last night, Ryuu was considered to be scum by the entire village. But now… in the eyes of every villager standing there that evening… Ryuu Maebara had finally achieved **Redemption**.

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A/N: I'll keep it short.

1) This _is not_ the last chapter.

2) I have one more day before I get back on the road, I may be able to get the next chapter to you by _late_ tomorrow but I wouldn't count on it.

3) Leave a review… and don't get too mad at me for the people who got killed off in this chapter. It makes me feel bad enough already that I killed him off…

P.S: on a happier note: the first (and worst) part of my vacation has ended. Not it's off to the beach! In case I don't get a chance to upload the next chapter before this weekend… Happy 4th of July to all you Americans reading this.


	31. Chapter 30: Vanishing Heroes

Chapter 30: Vanishing Heroes

"And so in conclusion…" continued Prime-Minister Thatcher the next day over a video-feed with _the real_ Japanese Government, "I, as well as all other members of the United Nations Council, offer my most sincere apologies for unjustly accusing your proud nation of the illegal and unlawful construction of nuclear weapons and for suspecting you of instigating a possible third World War. We hope that you understand our situation and that we can put this whole bloody mess behind us." And with that, she sat back down in her seat and waited for the Emperor's reply.

He sat there for a moment, looking unsure, but after a few encouraging nods from his accomplices sitting next to him, he smiled into the camera. "We understand," he confirmed with a nod, "And we also must thank you all for your bravery yesterday. Without your faith in those villagers that you displayed in the face such great peril… all of us would probably be dead by now or worse." He bowed at them in respect, which was a great honor indeed coming from the Emperor.

"You really have John Withers to thank for that, your grace," pointed out Andropov with a surprisingly fond smile towards the American table, "Without him, I am sure I would have stood alone in opposing Jack's demands."

The Emperor faced John Withers through his camera lens and offered yet another bow. "Thank you, Withers-_sama_," he said with extra emphasis on the honorific, "Every human soul is eternally in your debt."

John flushed in embarrassment when he heard the loud shuffling of chairs from all around him and the other council members joined the Emperor in his bow of gratitude. Even Andropov, leader of the Soviets, gave John a respectable bow and a smile.

"Thank you," said John, his stutter now officially a thing of the past, "But I do not deserve your thanks. I just found out from a reliable source that a young boy gave his life last night to save us all."

The Emperor stood upright once more. "Who was he?"

John didn't answer, instead, the small cell phone on his desk answered in the voice of Eric Stride.

"He was a hero, your highness," answered Eric over the cell phone, "He started out as a murderer and a madman... and his only wish was to slip away into history and to be forgotten by all. All he wanted was forgiveness for the crimes he committed." The room became gradually silent as Eric continued his speech. "Last night I made a mistake, one that I should have paid for with my own life but Ryuu Maebara took my place. I don't know if I will ever be able to forgive myself for that fatal error…" he paused, choking on his own words as he struggled to fight back the wave of tears building up in his sorrowful eyes, "But even so, I don't think I can honor Ryuu's wish to vanish into history and be completely forgotten by all. Ryuu does deserve to be forgiven for what he did… by he does not deserve to ever be forgotten for what he died doing." Eric faded into silence after that, John actually thought he had hung up.

"That brings us to the next order of business," continued Thatcher after five whole minutes of mournful silence, "I too would like to remember these villagers for what they did, especially this Maebara boy. However, I think I speak on behalf of us all when I say the world is not ready to know what those brave villagers fought and died to protect. The world isn't ready to know what humans really are… or more appropriately, what we used to be. Word of this will _cannot_ leave these walls until the time is right."

Nobody voiced an objection.

"I don't like denying those villagers of the tribute they deserve from the world," added Reagan with a thoughtful look in his eyes, "But she's right. Nobody must ever know about this. We have to continue as if nothing happened here over these past few weeks."

John shot him an outraged look. "But—"

"I don't like it any more than you do, John," interrupted the President sadly, "But humanity just isn't ready to know what had happened. Not yet anyway…"

John felt like objecting again but he knew in the back of his head that they were right. Ryuu Maebara, and all of the brave people who lost their lives, will have to vanish into secrecy.

______________________________________________________________________________

Three days later…

For three days, Rena Ryuugu had arrived promptly at the old construction site just when the sun was about to vanish behind the horizon. For three days she sat and she waited to hear Ryuu's fun-loving and spirited laughter as he emerged from wherever he was hiding so he could tell her that he wasn't dead… that it was all just a joke. But it wasn't a joke… she knew that. A tiny voice in her head kept reminding her of what happened three days ago. But she didn't listen; she kept on pushing that voice of reason out of her head but she could never hope to completely become deaf to its calls.

She brought her knees up to her chest as the sun began setting once again until finally… it vanished, plunging her world even deeper into darkness. And Ryuu still would not show himself… even after that promise he made her. He promised to meet her here… he swore he would and yet her treasure trove continued to lack its greatest and most beloved of treasures.

"Ryuu…" she whimpered, "…please don't leave me…"

She felt a single tear stain her clothing as she continued to stare dismally into her surroundings, her heart skipping at the slightest signs of movement. But alas, he did not appear. She finally surrendered, standing upright, not even bothering to brush the dirt from her clothing, and turned to leave the junkyard. On her way out however, her eyes caught sight of a small porcelain doll buried deep beneath a mound of stubborn garbage. The Kento-kun doll stared up at her through its cracked glasses.

"_I'm gonna get you that doll if it's the last thing I do!"_

That was the promise he made to her that one evening just as the sun was setting in front of them. She stared at the doll for what seemed like a millennia and the doll stared back at her. She felt a knot tighten up in her throat just before tears began pouring from her soft topaz eyes.

"How am I supposed to forget you!?" she cried in a hoarse voice, "You… idiot! I can't forget you, Ru-kun! I can't, I can't, I can't!" She shook her head, trying to throw the image of her Ru-kun from her mind in their last moments together… behind that thick sheet of glass.

"I loved you!" she sobbed, "I loved you so much, Ru-kun! And I still do! I can't forget someone I love so much!" She marched forward, clambering up the heap of junk with tears in her eyes as she overlooked the entire field of garbage around her. "I don't want to forget you!" she sobbed, shaking her head again in defiance of his last words to her. She fell to her knees and went completely silent, hoping to herself that he would actually answer her.

But she got no reply… even the cicadas were dead silent.

______________________________________________________________________________

The next day…

"How are you doing, Shii-chan?" asked Satoshi timidly as he gazed into Shion's shimmering turquoise eyes. He pressed a wet towel to her forehead and ran its rough fabric tenderly against her soft cheek in a soothing fashion as she lay practically motionless in her bed. She smiled at him lovingly and cupped her hand over his.

"You don't have to do this, Satoshi-kun," she said weakly, "Ken-san said I'd be better in a few days."

"Well it's only fair that I stay with you until you recover," he said with a smile, "After all, you never left my side." A red blush lit up her unusually pale face as he leaned in and kissed her on her brow.

Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open behind the two of them and a small blonde haired girl came bounding in with a bounce in her step. "Nii-nii!" she cried, smiling like she hadn't smiled in years, "Nii-nii!" She pounced on his back, tightly wrapping her arms and her legs around his neck and chest and perching her smiling head atop his golden hair. Satoshi smiled up at his younger sister, reaching up to caress her yellow hair fondly.

"C'mon Satoko," said Mion with an admonishing tone, "You're gonna suffocate him."

"It's fine," he assured despite his strangled voice, "But you could… loosen your grip just a little, Satoko-chan."

"Sorry, Nii-nii!" she piped, hugging Satoshi even tighter around his neck, "But I can't let go. If I do you might leave me again."

"Don't worry about that," advised Shion with a warm smile in Satoko's direction, "I'll make sure Satoshi-kun sticks around this time." She hugged his arm tightly from where she lay, bringing it up to her face and snuggling up against it as if it were a stuffed bear.

"Heyo!" chimed a squeaky sounding voice coming from outside Shion's bedroom, "Anyone home?" Shion tried to sit up but she quickly was met by a side-splitting pain that rendered her motionless once more. She glanced at the doorway to see three men coming in, one of them sitting in a wheel chair. "Scoot me a little closer, Akasaka," instructed Tony who was sitting with his arms folded in his new wheel chair, "I can't see anyone in this light." The large man rolled his eyes and brought him closer into the light. Tony smiled at all of them, looking unusually happy for someone who had just been diagnosed with paralysis from the waist down.

"I tell ya, I can't wait for hover chairs to come out," snickered Tony in his mousy voice, "Then I can start moving around myself without having to have _this_ gorilla shove me around all day."

Akasaka's face contorted with anger. "What was that, noodle-legs?!"

"I'm only joking," smirked Tony, "Jeez, I can't believe you'd just make fun of my condition like that."

"You two cut it out," snapped Eric, "I want to get this over with."

Keiichi exchanged a confused look with his friends before turning to Eric again. "What do you mean by that?" Tony's frivolous expression faltered as he hung his head with a shamed grimace on his face.

"We're all being contained," informed Eric quickly.

"Huh?"

"That means none of us are allowed to live outside of the village anymore," answered Akasaka, trying to conceal his happy smile, "The United Nations have all agreed that it's not safe for any of the villagers who lived through the battle to have a chance to leave the village and blab to the media about what happened."

"What!?" yelped Mion, "B-but that's like Communism isn't it?"

"Fascism more like," concurred Tony, "But it's the bleeding truth. We can't leave the village. However, all the nations belonging to the U.N have promised we will all be given the topmost living conditions they can provide. That means they're gonna work on establishing a college here, work on fixing up the clinic so Ken can take his brothers' jobs, and they're gonna re-staff the police force."

Rika looked up at Akasaka. "What about Akasaka-san's family?"

He smiled down at her. "I've already called my wife. She's almost made a full recovery from the explosion and she'll be flying over here with my daughter any day now. I think my little Miyuki is really gonna like all of you."

Satoko's eyes suddenly lit up with a brilliant fire that struck fear into Keiichi's heart. "Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho. I smell an apprentice…" she smiled devilishly, "We're gonna have some _fun_ next year, Keiichi…"

He quivered under her piercing gaze, crouching behind Mion with weak knees. "Help…" he whimpered.

"Man up, Keiichi," chortled Eric, "You're gonna have to be a bit tougher than that if you want to survive my class next year."

"Is Akira-sensei going to keep teaching?" queried Shion, "I thought you weren't really a teacher."

"Are you perhaps insinuating that I am not a competent teacher?" growled Eric dangerously, "Because if you are I shall be most vexed."

Satoshi looked from Eric to Shion. "You teach?"

Eric nodded.

"What happened to Miss Chie?"

Eric blushed and suddenly began retreating to the corner of the room. "Well…"

"Eric-sensei only teaches History and English," answered Hanyuu, "Miss Chie teaches everything else though."

Eric coughed a few times. "Well… not exactly…" he continued, earning a few alarmed expressions from his companions, "She um… she's retired actually."

"What?!" cried Mion, "Why? What did you do!?"

He mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?"

"She got married," he answered, tugging at his shirt collar nervously, "And uh… retired."

"Wha- to whom!?"

"To… me…" he answered, "That woman has got a beautiful mind… among other things."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait," interjected Tony, "You and that blue haired chick are… um." He glanced at the three younger children standing in the room with him and instead of continuing his sentence he simply made a very inappropriate and suggestive hand gesture.

"Yes…" answered Eric.

Tony smiled and nodded his head. "Nice," he grinned, "I'd high-five you but unfortunately I haven't regained all the feeling in my right hand yet."

The group's frivolity was suddenly cut short by a low roaring sound coming from behind Shion's bedroom window. Satoshi got up and slid open the glass window, gazing down at the busy street below him and saw a seemingly endless caravan of garbage trucks drive along the road with their rusty exhaust pipes sputtering black plumes of smoke into the air.

Keiichi peered out of the window from over Satoshi's shoulder. "What's with all the garbage trucks?"

"Oh, that's another thing the U.N decided to do for us," informed Tony, "They're gonna clear out that old junkyard."

"W-what!?" yelped Mion, "You mean today!?"

Tony gave her a quizzical stare. "Yeah…" he answered, "They're clearing it out right now… What's the big deal?"

"Rena's still there!!" cried Keiichi, "She fell asleep there last night! I saw her on my way over here!"

The three older men looked up at him abruptly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" he affirmed, "We have to go wake her before something happens to her!"

______________________________________________________________________________

Rena blinked herself awake, her open eyes immediately meeting the sun's glaring orange light as it gradually began to vanish along the horizon. She slowly began to remember where she was… in the junkyard… She fell asleep inside the old trailer last night, hoping in the back of her head she'd wake up to Ryuu's smiling face but all she got was an eyeful of sunlight. She stood up and rubbed her tired eyes, her collected "treasures" winking at her in the sun's light. But it still did not fill her with pride as it usually did. These treasures meant nothing without the treasure she prized most.

"Ru-kun," she whispered softly.

A gust of wind howled through the cracks in the trailer… and for a moment she could have sworn she heard someone whisper her name back to her.

"Rena…"

It sounded like Ryuu!

Suddenly, her drowsiness quickly left her body and she was as alert as a trained sniper on the field of battle. She scanned her surroundings but saw nothing but her old dusty pieces of garbage.

"Ru-kun!" she called.

This time there was no response.

She let her shoulders droop dismally. _"It was just the wind…_" she told herself, shaking her head sadly.

"Rena…"

Her head shot up again when she heard his voice whisper her name in the wind. She dashed out of the trailer's front door, looking all around for Ryuu but suddenly noticed something very odd about her surroundings. Something different…

She could see grass. All of the garbage was completely gone save for her trailer and the small mound of junk it was perched upon. Her eyes widened in shock and she quickly scampered down from her lone mound of garbage and did a quick sweep of the area, desperately searching for something.

"Where is it?" she asked herself, "Where did it go?"

She could not see the familiar glint of the Colonel Sander's doll anywhere. Its round-rimmed glasses did not shine in the sun's red light as they usually did around this time of day. It was gone… Kento-kun was gone.

She shook her head in disbelief, sending a spray of tears flying side-to-side. "No…" she whimpered, "No… no, no, no, no."

That doll was the only thing she had left to remember Ryuu by. That doll was promised to her by him-- he swore that he would get her that doll if it was the last thing he did and now it was gone. There was nothing left in her life to remind her of her Ru-kun. Now… now she might truly forget him.

"Ru-kun…" she whimpered sadly, "Ru-kun… come back… please." She felt sick, she felt like throwing up. Her knees began to tremble under weight and she didn't struggle to keep herself standing. She let her body collapse on the grassy ground. She should've been watching. She should've been awake to protect that doll from whoever took away all her garbage. She should have… she should have…

She heard a low rumbling sound surround her and she looked up with tears in her eyes. She saw a garbage truck pulling up to the now practically empty junkyard. Anger flickered in her belly and suddenly she felt the strength to stand up again as she stormed over to the bustling truck with her fists balled tightly.

She saw two men get out, the two of them laughing together like good ol' friends. _"How dare they…"_ she fumed internally, _"How dare they laugh after what they just did. How dare they steal Kento-kun and then laugh about it!!"_

She felt her legs moving on their own, quickly picking up speed as she began to charge one of the men. The man gasped and quickly held up his arms to defend his face but it was too late, Rena rammed into him, slamming him against the truck's hood and then throwing him to the ground. Her eyes were alight with a feral anger as she sat upon his stomach, slamming her fists against the man's chest.

She heard voices calling out to her, both from the man she was beating and his colleague, but they were muffled by her brain. All that mattered was making these men pay for stealing her last treasure from her while she slept.

"Rena! Rena stop!" called out one of the men.

She felt a pair of arms wrap around her and hoist her off the man. "Rena! Calm down!"

"No! No! No!" she hissed, thrashing about madly in his unyielding grasp, "Let me go! Let me go!"

She turned around so she was facing the man who was restraining her and immediately came face-to-face with a man sporting a black eye-patch over his left eye.

"_Jack Lanyon!?"_

She didn't hold back, she drove her fist into his chest, instantly beating Jack to the floor.

Suddenly, there was a small _crack_ that made its way into Rena's ears. She blinked, waking from her vicious trance-like state, and looked for the source of the crack. She saw it, lying in the grass with a new crack in its cheery old face. It was the Colonel Sanders doll…

Why would Jack be carrying the Kento-kun doll? And further more… how did he know her name? She looked at the man she just beat to the ground and her heart stopped…

He stood up, brushing the dirt from his shirt with his one remaining hand and smiled at her. "Sorry I'm late," said Ryuu with a wink, "But I didn't know you'd get that mad at me… OOF!"

He felt himself being lifted off the ground once again, crashing down roughly onto the grass.

"Stupid!" she sobbed, punching him in the chest weakly, "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Ryuu sat up and silenced Rena's crying instantly by corking her mouth shut with his lips. He wrapped his arms around her thin waist and eventually he ended up looming over Rena in a fashion similar to the time Ryuu had attempted to remove the doll from the junk heap and ended up crashing down onto of her. Only this time… their lips met with full force, their tongues eagerly mingling with one another as Ryuu held her tighter and tighter. He broke off the kiss and stared into her shimmering topaz eyes.

She reached up and caressed his cheek. "Is this… real?" she asked, "You're not a ghost are you?"

"Nope," he answered proudly, "I'm one-hundred percent living. Although I am debating whether or not I'm mortal or not."

She could not summon the energy to laugh at his joke. "H-how?" she stammered.

"How what?"

"How did you escape? And why are you wearing that eye-patch?"

He shrugged. "I stole the eye-patch from Jack's dead body to cover up my bad eye, of course," he replied, "And to answer your first question… let's just say there was a teeny-tiny little delay when I set off the time-bomb. It gave me just enough time to go for the closest bit of cover I could find and I got lucky. I got hit in the head when the whole thing came crashing down and I woke up just a few hours ago."

She thumped him in the head with her palm.

"Ow! Hey! What was that for?"

"Ru-kun is so mean!" she growled, "He didn't come see Rena right after he escaped!"

"I wanted to," he said with a smile, "But I had a promise to keep." He glanced over at the cracked Colonel Sanders doll. "I saw the garbage men scoop him up and drive away with it so I ran after them for like sixteen miles until I got their attention. I even got one of the guys to drive me back to you before the sun set."

Rena glanced up at the man who she had nearly beaten to death and he smiled at the two of them. "I'll just be going then," he said, trembling a bit when he felt Rena looking at him. He hustled into his car and quickly put his truck into reverse, pulling out of the junkyard and zooming away with all due speed.

"Rena…" he whispered, his soft voice sounding just like that gust of wind she heard earlier, "I'm gonna make another promise to you now. One that I'm pretty confident I'll be able to keep if you'll let me." He sat up, detaching himself from Rena's body so that she could sit down beside him.

"Uh-huh…" she nodded, eager for him to continue.

He couldn't help but smile at her curious looking eyes-- so innocent and pure… as if they belonged to a new born baby. "Rena, I love you," he continued, "I've already told you that. I'd do anything for you… But now I want to ask you to do something for me…" He breathed in deeply and shook his head. "No, this won't do. I need to do this right. Could you stand up please?" Rena gave him a befuddled look but didn't argue. She stood up right away and watched Ryuu with curiosity.

"What are you—"

"Close your eyes," he instructed excitedly, his voice giddy with anticipation.

She shut them, her heart practically beating in her throat as she waited… She heard him shuffling around behind her and was tempted for a moment to take a peek at what he was up to. But before she had the chance she heard Ryuu's voice coming from in front of her.

"Okay, now open them…"

She did, and her eyes were greeted with the cracked face of Colonel Sanders staring at her from behind his rimmed glasses. And behind Colonel Sanders was Ryuu, kneeling down in front of her on one knee.

_Ba-dum!_ Went her heart. She felt her toes curl up in her shoes and she felt her breath being sucked out of her lungs as if by some kind of vacuum.

"I don't have a ring or anything fancy like that," continued Ryuu, avoiding her shocked gaze, "…but I thought that this could do for now."

"Ru-kun…"

"When I was down there… when that timer was only five seconds away from zero… I seriously wanted to just drop the bomb and run away. I was really scared of dying… I was really scared of never being able to see you again. But when I thought about you… I couldn't get your smile out of my head. How innocent it looks… how warm it is… I decided that I never wanted that smile to die out even if it meant that I had to use myself as fuel to keep it burning bright. It was your smile and your memory that kept me going down there. And after I woke up the first thing I thought about was you. I didn't even realize I was buried under a good fifteen feet of rubble. That made me realize that… when it is actually my time to die… I want it to be after I've grown old… with… you."

Rena's blush deepened. She wanted to say something but her tongue seemed too shocked to move.

"I know I'm too young to actually er… propose to you and stuff… but uh… Maybe I could just make you a promise?"

He waited for her to make some kind of response but she simply couldn't move.

He sighed and bit his bottom-lip nervously. "Rena Ryuugu," he began, meeting her gaze again, "Will you um… promise to wait for me until I can come up with a decent marriage proposal that's worthy of you?"

She didn't know how to respond to that. Didn't that basically count as a proposal? Was Ryuu really asking her to marry him one day? She looked at him with an astonished look, her topaz eyes meeting with his electric blue one and suddenly all doubt was erased from her being. She felt her tongue suddenly thaw out and she smiled.

"Yes!" she answered with an energetic nod, "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!"

She took the doll from Ryuu's hand and gently set it aside before hoisting Ryuu from the ground and kissing him again with more passion and love than she thought she was capable of expressing until now. Tears of joy erupted from her eyes and quickly she felt Ryuu's arms wrap around her waist again and suddenly her feet lifted from the ground and she found herself being spun around in circles with her lips still firmly pressed against Ryuu's.

Little did either of them notice, but a single snow flake began fluttering from the sky above at that very moment.

______________________________________________________________________________

Keiichi glanced out of the car window.

"Hey look!" he cried, pointing at the gray cloudy sky above them, "Snow!!"

The rest of the gang quickly looked out of their windows and saw the truth of his words falling from the sky in the form of white, fluffy flakes of snow.

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Mion, "I-it's never snowed here before. Oni-baba said it hasn't ever snowed in Hinamizawa before!"

"I think she was right," agreed Hanyuu, "I don't ever remember seeing snow before." She stared out of the car window with a trance-like look on her face. "It's beautiful…" The car finally stopped at the junkyard site and Keiichi quickly stumbled from the car and into the thin sheet of snow that had already developed in the last five minutes.

He shook his head, tearing himself away from the glittering blanket of snow and began his search for Rena. But he didn't have to look far…

"Rena!" he cried when he saw her nuzzled up against a large figure, "Rena! What are… you…"

The man she was holding was looking up at the sky when Keiichi spoke. He was just staring up at the faint traces of sunlight still visible behind the thick shroud of the clouds. It reminded Keiichi of a certain night when he had met a strange man staring up at a street-light. The man slowly averted his gaze from the clouds to Keiichi. Keiichi quickly recognized this man as the same one he had met that night… only this time there was something different about him. His face was warmer than it had been that night. It no longer looked gaunt and skeleton like. It no longer gave off that menacing feeling that made him think of murder. It looked… happy.

He felt Mion standing beside him and she too fell speechless when she saw Ryuu standing there before the two of them. Ryuu's electric blue eye locked with hers and the two of them smiled simultaneously.

Keiichi walked up to his brother and punched him weakly in the shoulder. "You blinked," he said, "I win."

His cousin shot him a quizzical look. "Huh?"

"You were staring at me. I distinctively remember you telling me that when two people stare at each other that means they are having a staring contest," informed Keiichi simply, "In fact, I think that was the very first thing you ever said to me."

Ryuu's smile widened. "That I did," he nodded, "Good times, eh Kei-chan?"

"Yup," agreed his brother, "But they'll only get better from here."

______________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Quote: "don't get too mad at me for the people who got killed off in this chapter. It makes me feel bad enough already that I killed him off…"

Ohhhhh... you thought that by _him_ I meant Ryuu, didn't you? Oops. No, I meant Dmitry! Yeah, remember him? The guy who got killed off at the very end of the last chapter? No? Not ringing any bells? Really? Hm… and I thought for sure that was everyone's favorite character.

No, Ryuu is not dead, you silly people. How could I kill off Ryuu? I received several letters after I uploaded ch. 28 saying that if I killed off Ryuu they would come to my house and beat my dog with sticks. And I love my dog so I chose not to kill him off. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

Tee-hee :)

Ain't I a stinker?

So there we go, that's basically the end. Or is it? Ha! Fooled you again!

I will be uploading the next and final chapter as soon as I can. Lucky for you people I will be going on "vacation" again very soon. And by vacation I mean the forced leave from my home so that I may fly across the country to a dessert where I will be spending nine agonizingly long days in Disneyland. And I hate Mickey Mouse… haaaaaaate. It wouldn't be going if staying home didn't mean having to watch four crying babies for nine days.

So I will probably have to be speedy in getting the epilogue out to you guys ASAP because I don't want to make you guys wait 9 days for this story's conclusion.

I really hope you guys liked this chapter. I wanted to make it as climatic as I could and I hope you all look forward to this story's conclusion. Until then, leave me a review! C'mon… you know you want to. It's a lot more fun than it sounds…


	32. Epilogue

Epilogue

**Hinamizawa, Japan; September 5****th**** 2009 (Approx. 26 years later)**

"You're gonna have to be a little faster than that, Hiro-kun!" called a young fifteen year old girl as she dashed through the school-yard, her short green hair that she had hung in a ponytail bouncing with each step she took as I continued to pursue her fruitlessly. Out of breath and horribly discouraged, I stopped chasing her just as she turned around the corner of the main school building and vanished from my sights. Believing I was alone, I stood up and began speaking to myself between my winded breaths. "Damnit… that dang Aiko Sonozaki is fast."

"C'mon, Hiro-kun," taunted another girl's voice that seemed to come out of nowhere, "If you don't turn at least one more of us into a zombie you're gonna have to let Aiko-chan come up with a punishment game for you."

I spun around, coming face to face with Aiko's cousin, Oryo Hojo, a small girl with long blonde hair that reached down to the back of her white blouse and just barely touched the hem of her jumper. But even for her size… I had to admit she was quite well endowed in the torso region of her body for someone her age. "Oryo-chan!" I gasped in surprise, staggering back a few feet at the sight of her devilish smile. I dared not move another inch as I saw her get closer to me, wearing that smile of hers that always gave me that pre-beating feeling. Sure, she was on the smaller side but her size wasn't what made her such a threat.

It was her traps…

_Snap!_

I took one fatal step backwards and suddenly the world flipped upside down. Or more accurately, I flipped upside down and remained suspended from a tree by a prickly rope that was constricting my ankle.

"Oh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" laughed Oryo deviously, "I'm just too smart for you, Hiro-kun."

"How…" I gasped, my vision starting to blur as all the blood rushed to my head, "…how do you always get me?"

She shrugged her tiny shoulders and brushed some dirt off of her blouse. "I get my strategist skills from my Aunt Satoko," she beamed, "other things I get from my mother." Oh yes, I had seen her mother. Her mother was Mion-sama's sister, Shion. And with just one glance at Oryo's chest I knew _exactly_ what it was she had inherited from her mother's build.

"Hey…" whimpered a very tentative voice coming from behind Oryo, "…Oryo-chan. Why are you so mean to Hiro-kun all the time? Why?"

Oryo stepped to the side, revealing a boy that was her age and about her same size with a short-trimmed head of brilliant orange hair, timid yet somehow bold looking electric blue eyes, and a pair of soft, almost feminine looking lips. His name was Masato Maebara. I remember when I first moved to Hinamizawa about a month ago, this boy was the first person I met. Unfortunately, I had gotten a bad reputation with his dad, Ryuu, for accidently mistaking him for a girl.

"Masa-kun!" I cried as I wriggled in Oryo's cleverly devised trap, "Quick, get me down from here!"

He looked up at me sheepishly, biting the tip of his thumb and shaking his head as he slowly backed away.

"No!? What do you mean no? You're my zombie-slave! I tagged you remember? I order you to untie me now!" Suddenly, my voice trailed off when I heard Aiko's voice call out to me from the distance. "Do you give up, Hiro-chan?" she called.

Oh crap! I didn't want Aiko-chan to see me like this! I struggled with my bonds, reaching up to my ankle with both hands in an attempt to free myself but the knot was stubborn. I shot a vehement stare in Oryo's direction when I heard Aiko coming towards us. "Hey guys," she said to her fellow members of the "Hinamizawa G2 Game-club" or just the "G2" club for short. The G2 stands for Generation 2 but why Aiko decided to name it that is beyond me.

The knot was beginning to come undone. I smiled in triumph as I felt the rope slip out of its well fastened knot.

Aiko looked around the school grounds. "Where's Hiro-chan?"

I looked down and noticed that she was standing directly under me, clearly unaware I was looming directly over her head. I stopped squirming for a moment in hopes I could avoid detection for just a little longer and I couldn't help but stare at Aiko-chan from where I hovered.

I smiled dumbly, _"She really is pretty,"_ I thought to myself. She had beautiful short green hair tied up in a tiny pony-tail that seemed to glow radiantly in the sun's rays. Her violet eyes showed a rare look of confusion as her fellow club members around her began to chuckle to themselves, no doubt laughing at her ignorance to my location. In my mesmerized stares, I quickly became unaware to the fact that the rope fastened around my ankle was slowly coming undone and suddenly…

_Fa-pow!_

My head landed on something soft. Something very, very soft, like two perfectly round mounds of cotton candy.

Then it dawned me… I suddenly realized what I was resting my head on so contently. I dared open my eyes and the first thing I saw was Aiko's chest directly underneath my bottom jaw. Then I saw Aiko's horrified expression and her fierce blush on her cheeks as our eyes locked, triggering a brief period of awkward silence.

And out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aiko's twin brother, Kuraudo Sonozaki, emerge from his hiding place with a look of sheer outrage etched into his face, his powerful turquoise eyes flickering furiously as he stomped towards me. He crouched down beside the two of them so that his dark-green hair hung over his murderous eyes like a veil. "What the hell are you doing to my sister?" he growled in a dangerously low voice. I gulped an enormous mouthful of air and quickly removed myself from Aiko, helping her up in the still prevailing awkward silence.

"Sorry…" I mumbled.

"No, it's fine," she said quickly in response, her blush continuing to dip into even darker shades of red.

Awkward silence prevailed again until finally, Mr. Stride-- the school's one and only teacher-- was kind enough to end it.

"What are you kids still doing here!?" laughed the old teacher heartedly as he made his way towards us, "You're all just like your parents. They were the only group out of all my students back then who just refused to leave at the end of the day."

"Some trends just never die, Eric-sensei," replied Kuraudo with a grin.

"Fair enough, Kuru-kun," he said with a nod, "But I thought you would all be heading out by now. I was just about to leave for the Maebara home." He turned to Masato. "You're mom invited me over to join you all."

I blinked a few times, suddenly feeling a little left out. "Huh?"

Kuraudo turned to face me, the fury that had been evident on his face earlier no longer visible in his turquoise eyes. "My aunt and uncle are having a dinner thing tonight and they invited my parents and Oryo's too. It's a family thing."

"Wait," I said, "You're all related?"

Masato, Oryo, and the twins nodded their heads in affirmation.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp stitch of pain pierce my chest. I had known these guys since my very first day in the village. How come they never told me they were all relatives? I felt… left out all the sudden.

"I suppose you all want to walk?" asked Eric-sensei knowingly.

The others nodded. "Walking's better for you," said Oryo.

"I thought so," said Eric with a smile, "I'll see you all at Masato's house."

We waved goodbye to him as he hopped in his car and drove away down the dirt roads of Hinamizawa. They waited for Eric to disappear into the distance before speaking again. Oryo stretched her thin arms and sighed. "Okay, I'm gonna start going. You guys can catch up with me whenever you feel like." And with that, she departed down the road by herself, not even bothering to wait up for the others. "Jeez," scoffed Kuraudo, "I hate it when she tries going off by herself like that. Wait up, Oryo-chan!" Now it was just me, Aiko, and Masato left.

"Uhhh…" stammered Aiko, avoiding my gaze and still looking a little embarrassed about today's incident. "…bye," she said quickly in farewell before catching up with her brother. I sighed and slumped down to the grass, burying my head in my knees as I waited for Masato to join up with his cousins.

"Why are you on the floor, Hiro-kun? Why?" asked his voice. I looked up at him and smiled at his confused little frown and sideways glance. He was so innocent it was almost incredible to me.

"I'm just resting," I lied.

"Liar," he said with a fond smile, "C'mon. Hiro-kun can come eat with us!"

I was a bit taken-aback by his offer. "But… isn't this like a family event?"

Masato shook his head. "Not really," he answered in an upbeat tone, "A lot of my family's old friends are gonna be there and I want to introduce them all to Hiro-kun."

I didn't answer for a long time. I knew what I wanted to say but for some reason I just couldn't get the words out of my mouth.

Suddenly, I felt Masato grab me by my hand and guide me out of the school grounds without so much as another word. I protested a few times but in the end I couldn't mask my joy at finally being invited to one of my friends' houses. Soon, Masato and I caught up with the others.

"I was wondering when you'd two catch up," laughed Kuraudo, regarding me with some fondness in his voice. "But I guess you just came along to make sure I don't tell my mom what you did to my sister today?" Aiko and I both blushed intensely, glancing briefly at one another before averting our gazes to our feet as if they had become the most interesting thing in the world. Kuraudo looked from me to his sister with a quizzical stare. "Jeez, I was only joking."

"Well, it wasn't funny!" snapped Aiko, punching her brother in the arm with a surprising amount of force.

"Ow! Okay, okay fine!" whined Kuraudo as he rubbed his sore arm, "I didn't mean to tease you about your love interests, Aiko-chan."

Aiko's violet eyes flared up like two blow-torches and she broke out into a run, chasing her brother down the dirt road while shouting out an incredibly graphic description of what she was going to do to him if she ever caught him.

"Hey Hiro-kun!" he called back at me, still running for his dear life, "Tell your girlfriend to take a sedative!" That earned him a substantial volume increase in his sister's murderous shouts as they continued their chase down the road, kicking the dirt up in the air behind them.

"Oh no…" whimpered Masato, "I think we really should stop her."

"Yeah," agreed Oryo, averting her gaze from the two speeding siblings to me, "Aiko gets really touchy when we talk about you and her like that, Hiro-kun."

I couldn't help but blush at her words. "R-really?"

"Yeah, she must really hate you if she gets that mad whenever we call you her boyfriend."

Masato shook his head at his cousin. "Uhhh… I don't think that's it, Oryo-chan."

She simply shrugged. "Whatever, let's just stop her before we have to end up burying Kuru-kun."

Oryo sprinted forward ahead of us, running with an alarming speed in Aiko's direction. Masato smiled up at me before taking my hand again and breaking off into a run, darting up towards his cousins before one of them got killed.

The five of us ran all the way down the dirt road until we came to a large clearing on the side of the road that consisted of a massive yard made entirely of luscious green grass, a few peach trees scattered here and there, and a single Japanese style house in the middle of it all. It was pretty big, probably twice the size of my house. It all was very elegant and well maintained, all except for one tiny oddity. For some reason, there was a rusty old trailer sitting right of the house.

We stopped in front of the yard in mid-pursuit with Aiko clambering on top of her brother's shoulders in an attempt to strangle him, Oryo trying to pull her off by hugging tightly to her ankle, and me and Masato just standing there watching the whole spectacle with humored expressions.

"We're here!" piped Masato.

I gasped, taking in the landscape's beauty. "You got a nice yard," I complimented.

Kuraudo shrugged. "Well, it's not as nice as ours but it's still pretty neat looking. I still can't believe this place used to be a junkyard."

I gave Kuraudo a sideways glance. "Really?"

Masato nodded in affirmation. "Yup. My mom and my dad used to hang out here a lot before they got married. They even hung out here when this place was still a junkyard. My dad used to help my mom collect all this cool looking trash. They loved it so much here. My dad even promised my mom that they'd live here one day. My mom didn't believe him at first but he and his brother worked together to build a house here in secret. He surprised mom with it on their honeymoon, from what I hear she was really happy."

I blinked a few times. "Wow," I said, "I thought that kind of stuff only happened in books and T.V."

"Or fanfictions," added Oryo with a smirk.

I ignored her comment.

Masato led us down the small slope leading into his yard and then we walked under the shade of the barren peach trees that bordered either side of the wide, stepping-stone walkway that led to the front door. Masato stepped through the door and we did the same, taking our shoes off as soon as we got inside as was customary.

The first thing I saw once inside was an alarmingly old looking man with heavy bags under his strangely youthful looking eyes. He had a silver, wispy beard which seemed to be the only bit of hair he had left on his wrinkled old head. He smiled when he saw us standing by the front door. "Ohh," he said with a cough, "The younglings are here."

"Hiroaki-sama!" cried Masato gleefully, running up to him and hugging him around the waist (which I really did not think was a good idea, considering how this man looked like he would disintegrate into a pile of dust at even the slightest touch). But he was amazingly strong. He hoisted Masato up on his shoulders with ease and quickly began running around the house with him.

I gave Aiko an inquiring look.

"He's an old friend of our dad's," she explained knowingly.

"Emphasis on _old_," chortled another man's voice coming from down the corridor that led into the dining room. Masato's father appeared around the corner. I quickly shrunk back behind Kuraudo at the sight of him. He looked awfully intimidating with that black eye-patch of his that covered up his scarred eye and his missing left hand. Not to mention, I already had a bad rep with this guy for mistaking his son for a girl when we first met.

"Hey Uncle Ryuu," greeted the twins and Oryo happily, walking up to greet him, thus forcing me to follow behind them for the sake of remaining hidden. He embraced them all fondly, one-by-one until at last he noticed me cowering behind Aiko. His affectionate looking smile quickly changed into a devilish looking grin.

"Oh it's you," he greeted, "It's been a while, Hiro-kun. Is it all right if I call you that?"

"Uhh…"

"Good, good," he interjected, not waiting for me to answer, "Let's shake on it." He extended his hand… or more appropriately, he extended his left arm for me to shake. I looked at it with uncertainty.

"What's wrong?" he snickered, "Shake it."

"Hauu~ Ru-kun, don't tease him," chimed another, much softer voice that came from behind Ryuu.

I looked around him and saw a beautiful, very young looking woman standing in the dining room with a pink apron fastened around her red blouse and black, knee-length skirt. She looked just liked Masato! Only… with a few more feminine qualities. But she had the same orange hair as he did and the same soft lips. The only difference between them besides their gender was probably their eyes. This woman's eyes were the same shade of her son but they did not have the same radiant, almost glowing quality. I could tell Masato got his eyes from his father.

"I'm only kidding, Rena" laughed Ryuu, lowering his left arm and raising his right one which I was pleased to see had all five fingers on it. He looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to shake his hand at last. I took it with some reluctance but I was relieved when he gave me an actual handshake as opposed to ripping out my arm like I feared.

"Hey Uncle," said Aiko, nudging me aside to face Ryuu, "Is my dad here yet?"

"Nope," answered yet another voice coming from a tall, thin, blonde man with soft purple eyes who just suddenly appeared from behind Rena, "He had some last minute things to do at the station. Your mom's here though—Oh! Hello there." His purple eyes landed on me, scanning me over again and again until at last he said. "You must be, Hiro-kun." I suddenly felt Oryo stiffen up next to me. "Glad to finally meet you. My name's Satoshi Hojo, but you can just call me Satoshi if you'd like."

"Uh, thank you, sir," I replied, "How did you know my name?"

He smiled. "My daughter talks about you all the time," he laughed, "She's even got a few pictures of you in her bedroom— OW!"

A green haired woman just appeared by Satoshi's side, pinching his ear in between her fingers to silence him. "What are you doing, Satoshi-kun?" she asked in a sing-song voice that still sounded very threatening despite its angelic tone.

His face contorted with pain as the green haired lady pinched his ear even harder. "OW! Sorry, Shion! I was just trying to make conversation with the boy." She released her grip and folded her arms crossly. "Well next time don't talk about our daughter's personal life around him," she advised sternly. I noticed Oryo looking at me and I glanced at her direction which somehow caused her to quickly look away, triggering a fierce blush on her face.

I heard the front door open up behind me and I turned around to see three young women entering the room. One with a pink, sleeveless button up shirt and short blonde hair she kept in a black head-band, another one with long purple hair that stretched down to the back of her thighs and a third girl with… horns?

"_Must be one of those cosplay things,"_ I decided, _"But they sure do look real."_

"Hey everyone!" greeted the blonde woman energetically.

Oryo spun around at the sound of her voice. "Aunt Satoko!" she yelped happily, prancing over to her direction and hugging her tightly around the waist. The adults brushed past me to greet the girls.

"Rika-chan, Rika-chan," chanted Rena happily, "Rika-chan is as cute as ever!"

The woman named Rika smiled at her. "What else did you expect?"

"Hanyuu," greeted Shion fondly, pulling the horned woman in for an embrace, "How have you been, I haven't seen you in ages."

Hanyuu glanced at Rika with an eloquent grin. "I've been… around…" she said with a purposeful vagueness to her voice, "I'll be going away again soon though. I've only come to see how you were all doing."

"Enough with these formalities!" interrupted Satoko, "Kei-chan is on his way! Oryo-chan! Have you been practicing like I told you to?"

Oryo looked at her aunt, then at me, then back at Satoko with a refreshed grin. "Oh, I've been practicing plenty."

"Good," she snickered, "Let's set it up before he gets here."

"Heeyyy…" whimpered a familiar voice coming from a small red-headed boy still perched on the old man's shoulder, "Don't hurt Uncle Keiichi too much, Oryo."

Aiko winked at him. "Our dad's a big boy, he can take it."

______________________________________________________________________________

Keiichi walked slowly down the dirt road, examining the ground before him thoroughly before each step. "They won't get me today…" he assured himself when his brother's house began coming into view. He peered into the yard, scanning the area for any obvious signs of traps. He found none but that was hardly reassuring. It was never that easy with Satoko and his niece. He took one step forward into the yard and suddenly…

_Zip, Zam, Vroom!_

Keiichi felt himself spinning around and falling face-first into the dirt. Something tightened around both of his ankles and began to tug him along the ground towards the house. He braced himself just before he was dragged across the stepping-stones, his entire body rattling with each one. It wasn't long until he realized he was hanging upside down in Ryuu's doorway, his head dangling only a few feet from the floor. He saw Satoko and his niece, Oryo, crouched down in front of him with triumphant smiles on their faces.

"Is that all?" asked Keiichi hopefully, "Really? No tar and feathers? No sleeping darts, explosives, spiders, cobras, crabs, buzz-saws, fire, extortion? No electric shocks?"

"Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!"

"Oh, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Cackled the two girls in perfect unison. "You underestimate me and my pupil, Kei-chan."

Keiichi raised an eyebrow at them in inquiry.

"Look up."

He did, even though he knew he'd regret it, and saw that the thing that was tied around his ankles was not just a rope… but a watering hose with the nozzle looming right over his head. The hose was connected to the outer wall just left of where he dangled hopelessly.

He looked at them pleadingly. "No," he begged, "Come on, don't. I'm a cop, you know, I could have you arrested for doing this, Satoko."

"I won't be doing anything," snickered Satoko, "Oryo, you may dispense with the pleasantries."

Oryo stood up and walked behind Keiichi, placing her hand on the knob that would trigger the flow of water within the hose. Keiichi spotted Ryuu standing there with his son, waving at him in a very casual way. "Help me!" cried Keiichi.

Ryuu completely ignored him. "Satoko, you know you have to clean up when you're done, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she looked like she was having too much fun to care, "Now Oryo!"

Keiichi heard the definite squeaking of Oryo turning the knob and he soon received a face full of ice-cold water. He sputtered and spat as he struggled to keep breathing as his mouth and nose began to flood with water.

Hiro was sitting on the staircase next to Aiko, the two of them enjoying a pair of ice-cream cones given to them by Rena. "Hey," said Hiro, nudging Aiko in the side lightly, "Is this legal?" She merely shrugged in response.

______________________________________________________________________________

After they removed Keiichi from the doorframe, the night trudged on. Akasaka and his family showed up, followed by Tony Gilliam who was still sitting in his wheel chair but oddly enough Keiichi could never remember a time when he looked happier. Hiroaki showed them all he was still champion of sake chugging and ended up starting another drunken chorus line with a few of his men that had accompanied him. It didn't take long for Eric, (who had now officially warmed up to the consumption of alcohol), to join in along with Akasaka and Tony who simply danced along with them by wheeling backwards and forwards in his chair. In the end, everyone, drunk or not, joined in with the dance line, moving along to the sound of Hiroaki's sitar which he strummed skillfully with the use of his long toes. But the party had to end abruptly when Eric decided he'd impress his wife by leaping through the bonfire. He escaped almost completely unscathed save for a few blisters and charred burns here and there but that little stunt of his marked the end of the day.

That night, after Keiichi and his family said their goodbyes, he and Mion went home with an extra child. Hiro, his children's newest school friend, accompanied them as well. Apparently, his parents were both very… absent. His father and his mother were both into the arts and, unlike Keiichi's parents, spent more time overseas than they did with their own son. And that's why he was standing outside his son's bedroom and saw two people sleeping there instead of just one. Aiko wanted to sleep with Hiro and her brother as well but Keiichi would have rather died than allow that.

Mion stood behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist as they both stood at the door frame of their son's room, watching him sleep soundly. They slid the door shut and the two of them quietly crept to Mion's old room, peering in to see Aiko curled up in her western-styled bed, a porcelain doll with golden, curly locks of hair nuzzled tightly beneath her chin. Keiichi smiled. He couldn't even count how many times he caught Mion sleeping just like after the two of them had started sleeping together. Their daughter hugged the doll closer to her chest and mumbled something in her sleep. "Hiro-kun," she whispered.

Keiichi's smile faltered and he slid the door shut, his gaze suddenly shifting to the room Hiro was sleeping in. "I'll kill him," he snarled. Mion laughed, squeezing him tightly around his waist and kissing him softly on the nape of his neck. "Oh come on, Kei-chan," she whispered, "I wasn't so different when I was her age."

That was enough to get Keiichi's smile back. "Oh really?"

She nodded, opening Aiko's door back open. "I remember when you gave me that doll," she reminisced, "On my 17th birthday."

"Yup," nodded her husband, "I can still remember how shocked you were when you opened up my present and pulled out that doll. Your mom told me you slept with it every night since then. I was a little surprised you were willing to give it to Aiko."

"I didn't really mind," she said in response, "I have something much better to sleep with now anyway." Keiichi turned around in her grasp so he was face to face with Mion. She looked just as young and just as beautiful as she did the first day they met. He could still picture it… opening his front door one evening and seeing Mion and the others standing on the other side. They practically forced him out of his house that day and showed him around the village. He caressed her soft cheeks tenderly with the back of his fingers, savoring the warmth of her skin.

He moved in to kiss her but just as their lips were about to meet, they were started by a sudden low chiming of the grandfather clock that they had sitting in the foyer. It had just struck midnight.

"We better get going or we'll be late," pointed out Mion, "They'll be waiting for us."

Keiichi nodded in acknowledgement, separating himself from his wife and instead taking her by the hand and leading her out the front door of their house quietly. The two of them exited the estate together, hand-in-hand, and continued down the dirt road with nothing but the light of the moon to illuminate their path.

He thought back to the time he had carried a sleeping Mion up this same road during a rainy day because she had feinted an ankle injury. That seemed like it was only a few months ago when it was actually 26 whole years. He grimaced. _"Damn I'm getting old."_

They continued down the road until they came to a very familiar sight. It was the stone bridge and the old watermill. Images flashed in Keiichi's head of all the days he woke up for school and all the days he would meet Rena and Mion here in the morning. He also remembered the first day he took Ryuu to this very spot for his first day back at school.

"Look," said Mion softly, "It's your old house."

Keiichi glanced down the road and could just barely see the old Maebara Manor in the distance. More memories rushed back to Keiichi's head upon seeing his old home. He remembered how his friends used to call it "a mansion". Even Mion had called it that once or twice and his house was completely dwarfed by Sonozaki Manor. It used to make him so mad whenever she did that. She did a lot of things that ticked Keiichi off. Hell, she still does things that make him mad. But it was the same as it was back then, no matter what Mion did or no matter what Keiichi _thought_ she may have done… he could never manage to stay mad at her for more than a half-hour.

"Hey, Mion," whispered Keiichi, "Do you ever wonder what would've happened if we had never met?"

Mion gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

"Like, how do you think our lives would have turned out if I never moved to Hinamizawa…"

She paused for a moment to think about his question and then answered on a note of laughter. "Heh, heh. I probably would have turned out a bit like Oni-baba," she chuckled, "Old, stubborn, grouchy…"

"Well it's only a matter of time," teased Keiichi.

She elbowed him weakly in the ribs. "Oh shut up!" she snapped, trying to sound cross but unable to contain her laughter.

"Kidding, kidding," he chuckled, "I guess I deserved that though."

"Yup," she nodded. Suddenly, Mion's smile faded and when she spoke next it was in a much softer voice. "Hey, Keiichi…" she continued in a timid voice, "…I've been meaning to ask you this since the day you asked me to marry you but… why did you choose me?"

"Huh?"

"I mean… Why me out of all the other girls? I always thought that… just the way we used to act around each other… that you only saw me as kind of a boy trapped in a girl's body. And I know you knew all the others really liked you… even Satoko used to like you a lot. So why didn't you ever try to go for them?"

Keiichi shrugged. "Because I loved you and not them," he stated simply, unable to think of how else he could put it, "Whether I knew it then or not, whenever I felt you were in danger I would become more worried and anxious than I could ever remember being. Remember that night after Oishi died when you came to my house to talk about Ryuu? At first, I didn't really care. But when I saw how scared you were… I got scared too. Eventually, I couldn't stop worrying about your well-being. And that night during the _Kakou-Saishi_ when I won that necklace for you, I could've given that to anyone. But I won it _for you_. I didn't win it for Rena, Satoko, or anyone else because you were all I could think about. When I took you to that lake that night and danced with you, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that I was in love with Sonozaki Mion."

She beamed at him. "You know, that was _really_ corny, Kei-chan."

He shrugged. "Well, it's the truth."

The two of them crossed the bridge together, taking each other's hands once again as they approached the school yard. Just before they crossed into the school grounds, Mion turned and kissed him on the cheek.

"It may have been corny," she said in a whisper, "But it was still sweet."

"Hey!" called the voice of Ryuu Maebara, "We've been waiting for you two!"

Keiichi and Mion smiled at all their old friends, all of them gathered in a circle and still waiting for them to join in.

"We were getting worried you wouldn't come," said Rena in her sweet sounding voice.

Mion could only laugh at her remark. "Are you kidding? We only get to do this once every week. We wouldn't miss it for anything."

"What were you two doing anyway?" inquired Shion, "You're like thirty minutes late."

"It was something dirty, wasn't it?" accused Satoko, "Mion, is Keiichi making you do anything perverted?"

Satoshi rolled his eyes at his little sister.

"No… I can honestly say Keiichi is not _forcing_ me to do anything perverted."

Rika just shook her head at the lot of them.

"Anyway, enough with the formalities," dismissed Mion, wearing the same playful smile she had 26 years ago, "For tonight's punishment game, I think the loser should have to… go around town tomorrow wearing an outfit of the winner's choice."

Rena clapped in approval. "Hauu~ Rena must win! Rena has to see her Ru-kun in a cute little kitty suit." Keiichi tried to picture his one-handed, eye-patched brother wearing a full body _Hello Kitty_ cosplay outfit and had to bite his tongue to stop himself from exploding with laughter.

"The game is zombie-tag," informed Mion, "Same rules. Keiichi, if you can't catch all of us by 1:30 then you lose."

"Huh!? Why am I it?"

"The club-leader has spoken, Keiichi," interjected Satoshi.

"But—"

"Count to 100."

Before he could object, the group around him suddenly dispersed into the school grounds, leaving him all alone… as usual. He groaned as he covered his eyes and began the countdown.

"1… 2… 3… 4…"

As he was sitting there, counting up to one-hundred, he couldn't help but grin at his situation. He was a 42 year old man playing an enhanced version of hide-n-go-seek with his friends. Things really hadn't changed in the last 26 years…

…well, maybe they had. But for once, they changed for the better.

_Out of the darkness that shrouds my sight,_

_Birthed by the crashing waves of circumstance,_

_Rises a beacon to guide me out of eternal night,_

_A beacon of hope, of dreams masked by gale,_

_A beacon most feared and yet most treasured,_

_Tis' the beacon of an unwritten and unspoken tale,_

_Though I cannot see past its blinding light,_

_I can still feel its unending measure,_

_It still gives me hope, a reason to fight,_

_No man but I can destroy this beacon, _

_And though they can break it into shards,_

_I alone shall mend it anew,_

_It is the beacon of my future,_

_And though it is unclear through the haze,_

_I can already tell it will lead me to better days._

**THE END**

______________________________________________________________________________

**Family Tree:**

Masato: RyuuxRena's son

Oryo: ShionxSatoshi's daughter

Aiko&Kuraudo: KeiichixMion's twin son and daughter

And so ladies and gentlemen, my story finally comes to a close. I sincerely hope that this Epiloguewas enough to satisfy you. Sorry if the beginning threw you off. I just thought it'd be an interesting way to tell you all how everyone's lives turned out through the perspective of their children. Also, I apologize for the poem at the end. I wanted to try and end this story in a kind of elegant manner. But in the end, I'm sure that my poem probably just made you laugh at me. It's okay, you can laugh… I can take it… WAAAH *sob*.

These past four months I've spent writing this story have been oddly fulfilling. I enjoyed it immensely. I'm actually kind of sad I won't be getting any more chapters out to you guys… I really did love hearing reviews from you all. Especially those of you who were always considerate enough to give me a review for every chapter I uploaded. It really gave me something to look forward to. Without you guys, this story probably would have never been completed. Thank you so much.

Any minute now, I'll be changing this story's status from "In-progress" to "Complete". It feels kind of funny having to do that. *Sniff* Oh God… I promised myself I wouldn't cry.

But before we say goodbye, I have a secret to tell you all. Listen closely. When I originally came up with this story, it was not set in Hinamizawa or anything like that. True, I got the idea for this story by watching Higurashi but initially I wanted to publish this story in an actual book. So, I adapted my story so it'd fit in with the Hinamizawa setting and started uploading it on here for you all to read. Why? What you read was basically a rough-draft. My next project is re-writing this so that when I take it to a publisher I won't be sued for copyright infringement. Mind you, the final copy will have a refined story and shall be heavily proof read and revised.

In your last review, I want you to answer a few questions for me if you feel up to it. Number one: What you thought of the Epilogue. Number two: What you liked best about this story and what about it needed some work. (Please… when critiquing me… be gentle. My confidence is about as durable as a glass egg.) And number three: Do you think this story was good enough to be a legit book or do you think I'm just getting a big head and I should quit while I'm ahead. Although, regardless of whether or not you think I should turn this into a book I'm still gonna try it so wish me luck. There, that's something else for you to look forward to.

Well, that about does it. I'm going to have to end this author's note eventually. Just… thank you all so much for reading this and filling my otherwise empty life with some worth. You will probably never realize how much it meant to me to hear reviews from you guys. I had a really amazing time and no words I can put on this digital sheet of paper can express how grateful I am to all of you and how much I will miss hearing from you.

"_**Thank you and goodnight**__**…."**_


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